Female tennis player in navy Asics dress and cap smiling as she tosses a tennis ball into a packed crowd on an outdoor grass court.
Nathan Stirk / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
Gossip

Wimbledon Banned Zeynep Sönmez’s Palestine Flag, But Her Watermelon Dampener Stayed

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The Turkish No. 1, Zeynep Sönmez, has played with a watermelon-shaped vibration dampener on her strings for more than a year. Tournaments keep banning the Palestine pin she used to wear, but the dampener is standard racket gear, so it stays on.

Sönmez has used the dampener across multiple tournaments, including other Grand Slams. The fruit has stood in for the banned Palestinian flag since the 1967 Six-Day War, its red, green, black and white slices echoing the flag’s colors.

Female tennis player in white dress and visor crouching in ready position on a grass court, holding a racket with a small dampener on the strings.
Zeynep Sönmez crouches in ready position during the Ladies Doubles at Wimbledon on July 2, 2026 — the watermelon-shaped vibration dampener clearly visible on her racket strings. Photo by Anadolu via Getty Images.
Female tennis player smiling and tossing a tennis ball into a crowd of spectators on a grass court, with a towel draped over her shoulders.
Celebrating her first-round win over Leylah Fernandez, Sönmez tosses a ball into the packed stands at the Lexus Nottingham Open on June 16, 2026. Photo by Nathan Stirk / Getty Images.

She used to wear a small Palestine pin as well, until tournaments began ruling it a political statement and barring her from playing with it. At Wimbledon this year, organizers told her flatly the pin was out — even as Ukrainian symbols were allowed.

Female tennis player in olive green outfit and white visor crouching in a ready position on court, holding a blue racket in front of a BNP Paribas advertisement board.
Sönmez in a focused ready stance during her Day 1 match against McCartney Kessler at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, on March 4, 2026. Photo by Matthew Stockman / Getty Images.
Female tennis player in navy outfit lunging forward on a grass court to return a shot, with a Lexus Eastbourne signboard in the background.
Harriet Dart lunges low to return a shot against Zeynep Sönmez during their first-round Women’s Singles match at the Lexus Eastbourne Open on June 23, 2026. Photo by Harriet Lander / Getty Images.

“I used to wear a pin. Tournaments no longer allow me to wear it. We had a discussion with the organisers because the Ukrainian flag is allowed but the Palestinian is not. They ultimately told us they definitely would not allow it. So, I can’t wear the pin. I can use the vibration dampener, and they can’t object to that. That’s why I put the watermelon symbol on my racket,” she told Anadolu Agency.

Young woman in a white t-shirt and wide-leg jeans holding a large novelty tennis ball at a Taste of Tennis branded event backdrop.
At the Taste of Tennis event in Indian Wells on March 2, 2026, Zeynep Sönmez holds an oversized tennis ball on the red carpet, wearing jeans and a white tee. Photo by Anna Webber / Getty Images.

Her singles run at Wimbledon is over, but she remains in the doubles draw — with the same racket.

Smiling female tennis player in a navy and light blue Asics dress waving to the crowd while holding her racket aloft after a match win.
Racket raised and waving to the crowd, Sönmez savors her first-round victory over Leylah Fernandez at the Lexus Nottingham Open on June 16, 2026. Photo by Nathan Stirk / Getty Images.

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Female tennis player in navy Asics dress and cap smiling as she tosses a tennis ball into a packed crowd on an outdoor grass court.
Nathan Stirk Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
Female tennis player in white dress and visor crouching in ready position on a grass court, holding a racket with a small dampener on the strings.
Zeynep Sönmez crouches in ready position during the Ladies Doubles at Wimbledon on July 2, 2026 — the watermelon-shaped vibration dampener clearly visible on her racket strings. Photo by Anadolu via Getty Images.
Female tennis player smiling and tossing a tennis ball into a crowd of spectators on a grass court, with a towel draped over her shoulders.
Celebrating her first-round win over Leylah Fernandez, Sönmez tosses a ball into the packed stands at the Lexus Nottingham Open on June 16, 2026. Photo by Nathan Stirk Getty Images.
Female tennis player in olive green outfit and white visor crouching in a ready position on court, holding a blue racket in front of a BNP Paribas advertisement board.
Sönmez in a focused ready stance during her Day 1 match against McCartney Kessler at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, on March 4, 2026. Photo by Matthew Stockman Getty Images.
Female tennis player in navy outfit lunging forward on a grass court to return a shot, with a Lexus Eastbourne signboard in the background.
Harriet Dart lunges low to return a shot against Zeynep Sönmez during their first-round Women's Singles match at the Lexus Eastbourne Open on June 23, 2026. Photo by Harriet Lander Getty Images.
Young woman in a white t-shirt and wide-leg jeans holding a large novelty tennis ball at a Taste of Tennis branded event backdrop.
At the Taste of Tennis event in Indian Wells on March 2, 2026, Zeynep Sönmez holds an oversized tennis ball on the red carpet, wearing jeans and a white tee. Photo by Anna Webber Getty Images.
Smiling female tennis player in a navy and light blue Asics dress waving to the crowd while holding her racket aloft after a match win.
Racket raised and waving to the crowd, Sönmez savors her first-round victory over Leylah Fernandez at the Lexus Nottingham Open on June 16, 2026. Photo by Nathan Stirk Getty Images.

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About the author

January Nelson

January Nelson

January Nelson is a writer, editor, and dreamer. She writes about astrology, games, love, relationships, and entertainment. January graduated with an English and Literature degree from Columbia University.