What is a Walkover in Tennis? Rules Explained & Impact

If you’ve ever checked a tournament draw and seen “W/O” next to a player’s name, you’ve witnessed a walkover. The term appears everywhere, from local USTA events to Grand Slams, yet it’s often misunderstood. Does it count as a win? Do you still get ranking points and prize money? And how do Wimbledon and the USTA actually handle them?

This in-depth guide explains, clearly and completely, what a walkover is, why it happens, and what it means for rankings, prize money, records, and tournament procedure. Along the way, we’ll contrast walkovers with withdrawals, defaults, and retirements, and spotlight notable walkovers that shaped big events.

Definition: A Walkover in Tennis

A walkover occurs when a player or team advances to the next round without playing the scheduled match because the opponent is unable or not permitted to compete, typically due to injury, illness, schedule conflicts without a valid replacement, or disqualification before a ball is struck. The key element: the match never starts; no point is played. The opponent moves forward automatically.

In US competition, the USTA’s Friend at Court (FAC) handbook is the standard reference. It distinguishes among draw outcomes (withdrawal, walkover, default, retirement, and unplayed match), clarifying that a walkover specifically covers situations where an opponent can’t start the match after the draw is made and there’s no replacement available. State and sectional USTA manuals echo this framework in plain language.

Real-world example: At Wimbledon 2024, Alex de Minaur withdrew before his quarterfinal with Novak Djokovic due to a hip injury; Djokovic advanced by walkover into the semifinals.

Injuries & Scheduling Issues: Common Reasons for Walkovers

Most walkovers are simple cause-and-effect: a player can’t start the match, so the opponent advances. Injury and illness are by far the leading reasons—think acute strains, lingering niggles that worsen overnight, a positive illness check, or a warm-up that makes it clear the body won’t hold.

Personal emergencies also occur, such as family matters or unforeseen travel disruptions that leave a player unable to report on time. Administrative or scheduling issues are rare, but they happen—late arrivals after a weather-compressed day, transport problems between venues, or an eligibility hiccup discovered after the draw is set. Travel delays and tight turnarounds can hit players at smaller tournaments just as hard as injuries.

Finally, there’s the edge case of a pre-match disqualification (default) under the code of conduct; if a ruling is final before the first ball, the practical outcome is the same: no points are played, and the opponent moves on.

Behind the scenes, tournament staff try to avoid walkovers where possible. Players often undergo late fitness tests with trainers or doctors, and events may require medical verification before a player is allowed to withdraw from a scheduled match. Fans often hear about players “testing themselves in warm-ups”. This is where last-minute walkovers usually come from.

If the withdrawal happens in the first round of a professional event and timing permits, an alternate or lucky loser can be inserted to keep the match on court, turning what might have been a walkover into a played match. In later rounds, replacements usually aren’t available, so a walkover becomes the only workable solution.

Does a Walkover Count as a Win?

In everyday language, you’ll see “Player X advances by walkover,” which is accurate for the draw, but it can be misleading for stats. A walkover is not an on-court result: no points are played, and no match takes place. As a result, you’ll never see a walkover listed in the official match stats. It doesn’t enter official win–loss tallies for the tours, and it doesn’t affect streaks like “10-match winning run” because there was no match to begin with.

The player who was fit to play advances. They’ll appear in the next round just as if they had won, but their record doesn’t gain a played-and-won match, and their opponent doesn’t take a played-and-lost one. Think of it as a procedural outcome rather than a sporting result: the bracket moves forward; the statistics stay neutral.

How does a Walkover affect a Player’s Record?

Because a walkover isn’t contested, it doesn’t generate match statistics (aces, winners, first-serve percentage) and typically isn’t counted in official head-to-head records. Media reports and fan conversations often say “X leads Y three-two” and may footnote that one meeting was a walkover, but formal databases usually separate played matches from administrative advancements.

That distinction also protects narratives like win streaks: if a player advances by walkover during a run, the streak number doesn’t inflate; it resumes with the next ball struck in competition. Practically, the only places a walkover “shows” are the draw sheet (marked W/O) and the order of play for the next round, where the advancing player is listed as the opponent.

Impact on Ranking Points

Ranking systems reward the round reached, but they also care whether you’ve actually competed in the event. The common principle across tours works like this:

• If you receive a walkover after you’ve already played and won a match in that tournament, you receive the ranking points for the new round you’ve reached. The logic: you advanced in the competition having legitimately participated, and the walkover did not give you an unfair entry into the event.
• If you receive a first-round walkover, meaning you haven’t played at all in that event, then ranking points are not awarded. You advanced administratively, not competitively.
• There’s a nuance when a player has a bye and then their next opponent withdraws. If you haven’t yet won a match on court in that tournament, the system treats you as not having established participation; points may revert to the previous round’s value.

In short: no first-round match, no points. From round two onward, walkovers usually ‘count’ once you’ve already stepped on court earlier in the event.

On the developmental circuits, junior events, and masters-level team competitions, the same round-reached vs played-a-match logic generally applies, though individual rulebooks can fine-tune the details (for example, how a team tie records a walkover on a single court). The big picture is consistent: walkovers help you progress, but points attach cleanly only after you’ve earned entry into the event “on court.”

That’s why players who grind through earlier rounds still bank the next-round points if their quarterfinal or semifinal doesn’t go ahead, while players gifted straight through the first hurdle don’t collect points until they’ve actually stepped on court and won.

WTA (general application):

• If you receive a walkover in any round after having played and won a match, you receive points for the round reached.
• First-round walkovers (before you’ve played at all) do not award ranking points.
• If you receive a walkover in a later round without having yet played a match (e.g., you had a bye, then your opponent pulled out), points revert to the preceding round.

ITF World Tennis Tour (principal used for ATP/ITF events):

• A match won by retirement, default, or walkover counts as a match won for ranking points, except for first-round walkovers and cases where the player has not yet won any prior matches—those do not award ranking points.

In practice across pro tours, the guiding concept is: points are tied to the highest round you legitimately reach, subject to first-round exceptions. That’s why, for instance, a player who gets a walkover after earlier wins still receives the next-round points.

Impact on Prize Money

Prize money is simpler than rankings: it follows the round you reach. If you advance by walkover, you move to the next round’s prize tier just as if you had won the match. The player who withdraws usually keeps only what they’ve already earned in earlier rounds.

Where it gets interesting is in first-round scenarios at major events: to discourage injured players from starting a match they can’t finish, some tournaments use on-site policies that compensate withdrawals (for example, a portion of first-round prize money) while allowing a lucky loser to take the spot and compete for the remaining share. That approach protects the integrity of the schedule and ensures fans still see a contest.

For men’s and women’s professional events, the advancing player’s compensation isn’t penalized for the lack of play; the tournament still pays by round reached, and the accounting treats a walkover as a valid progression. So even if a player’s advance feels anticlimactic, their paycheck keeps pace with the round they’ve reached.

Team competitions and national events generally mirror that logic, though local regulations can specify small differences (e.g., per diem rules, appearance commitments).

A final note for spectators and bettors: bet settlement isn’t the same as tournament prize money. Most sportsbooks void pre-match bets if a walkover is declared because no ball was struck; your ticket doesn’t settle as a win or a loss. That’s a betting-market policy, not a tennis rule. So while the player advances and gets the round’s prize money, wagers typically reset as if the matchup never happened.

Walkover Wimbledon Rules Explained

Wimbledon follows Grand Slam rules governed by the ITF and the Grand Slam Board:

• If a player withdraws before a match and no replacement is available, the opponent advances by walkover. That’s exactly what happened when Djokovic advanced past de Minaur in 2024. For many fans, this was their clearest example of how walkovers play out at the very top of the sport.
• Prize money: Wimbledon publishes a detailed prize-money schedule annually; payout follows the round reached, and standard Grand Slam policies apply. (First-round on-site withdrawals trigger the 50/50 policy with a lucky loser, not a walkover.)
• Public language: Media and official reports will label such events “walkovers,” explaining the cause (e.g., injury), and the player’s next-round opponent is updated on the daily order of play.

Walkover United States Tennis Association (USTA) Rules Explained

For US tournaments from junior to adult levels, the USTA’s Friend at Court is the go-to reference:

• Definitions: USTA materials mirror the standard distinctions—withdrawal (before playing in the event), walkover (match not started because a player cannot play after the draw is made), retirement (stops after the match begins), and default (disqualification).
• Draw notation & procedure: Tournament directors must mark the draw appropriately (W/O, Def., Ret.) and follow substitution procedures when eligible alternates or lucky losers exist; otherwise, award a walkover.
• Records and standings: Many USTA sections specify that walkovers and withdrawals are not on-court wins(useful for standings/ratings context). Always check your section’s handbook for ranking/points nuances.

This consistency helps players from juniors to pros know exactly what to expect when ‘W/O’ appears on the draw sheet.

Tennis Walkover vs Withdrawal / Default / Retirement

Here’s the clean, practical way to separate them:

Famous Walkovers in Tennis History

• 2014 ATP Finals—Federer → Djokovic: Roger Federer withdrew from the London final with a back injury, handing Novak Djokovic the title by walkover. It’s one of the most famous walkovers, occurring in a championship match.
• 2016 Roland-Garros—Nadal: Rafael Nadal withdrew before his third-round match with Marcel Granollers due to a left-wrist injury, producing a high-profile walkover that changed the men’s draw dynamics.
• 2018 Roland-Garros—Serena Williams → Sharapova: A much-anticipated fourth-round showdown never happened when Serena withdrew with a pectoral injury; Sharapova advanced by walkover.
• 2024 Wimbledon—de Minaur → Djokovic: As noted, de Minaur’s pre-match injury withdrawal sent Djokovic straight to the semifinals by walkover.

These moments remind us that even legends aren’t immune to the physical demands of tennis, and sometimes the body simply says no.

Practical Implications for Players (and Why This Matters)

Whether you’re eyeing a USTA sectional event or following the tours:

1. Don’t assume a W/O is “just a free win.” It advances you, but may not pad your win–loss record or H2H. It can boost ranking points if you’ve already won a match in the tournament.
2. Expect full round prize money when you advance by walkover (outside of first-round special cases).
3. At slams, first-round on-site withdrawals split money 50/50 with a lucky loser, which avoids walkovers in the opening round and protects match integrity.
4. For organizers and captains: Know substitution windows and lucky-loser procedures to avoid unnecessary walkovers; pro rulebooks require alternates to be ready on short notice. For club players, knowing the rules helps avoid confusion when a match doesn’t go ahead as planned.

Walkovers may not create highlight reels, but they’re part of the rhythm of tournaments, ensuring events stay on schedule.

FAQ: What is a Walkover in Tennis?