Berlin’s mayor, Kai Wegner, is under pressure to resign after it was revealed he played tennis during a crippling blackout caused by an arson attack. The attack cut power to about 45,000 homes and over 2,000 businesses in the city’s south-west. Wegner initially said he worked nonstop to manage the crisis but later admitted he took a break to play tennis with Berlin’s education minister, Katharina Günther-Wünsch, on the day of the outage. “I was neither bored nor putting my feet up, but was on the phone all day,” Wegner said. However, he confessed, “Yes, at some point I said: ‘I need a short break, I need to clear my head.’ And the best way for me to do that is with sport.” Leftwing militants claimed responsibility for the arson, sparking fears about Germany’s ability to handle sabotage. Opposition parties condemned Wegner’s behaviour. The far-right AfD called it reckless to play tennis in a serious emergency and accused him of lying. Social Democrat mayoral candidate Steffen Krach called Wegner’s actions “unacceptable” and “unworthy” of his office. Facing growing criticism, Wegner sought support from his CDU party colleagues amid the scandal dubbed “tennis-gate.” The incident drew comparisons to past political missteps during crises, such as leaders caught behaving poorly during floods. A Green MP sarcastically noted, “At least Kai Wegner had a net on Saturday,” highlighting the irony that thousands of Berliners lost phone signals for days. Memes also mocked the mayor’s grip on power, likening him to short-lived political figures.