LONDON — Turkish tennis player Zeynep Sonmez used a watermelon-themed vibration dampener on her racket at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships after tournament organizers prevented her from displaying a pro-Palestinian solidarity brooch. The Championships were held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, UK.

Sonmez, 24, attached the dampener to her racket strings during play on July 2, 2026. The watermelon is recognized as a symbol of Palestinian solidarity and pride among activists, as it shares the colors of the Palestinian flag: red, white, and black. Sonmez played in the Ladies Doubles competition on day four of the Championships alongside Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Shuko Aoyama, and En-Shuo Liang.

Sonmez stated that she previously wore a brooch but tournaments no longer permit it. "I used to wear a brooch, but tournaments no longer allow me to wear it," Sonmez said. She also indicated that she had discussions with managers regarding the display of symbols. "I argued with the managers that the Ukrainian flag is allowed, but the Palestinian one is not. Following our conversations, they stated that they strictly would not permit it."

Osman Askin Bak, the Turkish Youth and Sports Minister, publicly expressed support for Sonmez's demonstration of solidarity. Omer Celik, the spokesperson for Turkiye's governing Justice and Development Party (AKP), also praised Sonmez. Sonmez was born in Istanbul on April 30, 2002, and has familial roots in Arhavi.

Sonmez received the Athlete of the Year award at the Harper's Bazaar Turkiye Women of the Year ceremony in Istanbul following the 2025 season. She reached the third round of Wimbledon in 2025 and has accumulated $625,019 in career prize money. She also corrected a line call in favor of Eva Lys during a match in Monastir.