With wimbledon in full swing, all are A tennis fan (or at least trying to become one). Just look at the lasting Tenniscore TrendThe drinks in viral tennis themeand the lively tennis discourse (we’re still not over the size of French Open Trophy). But with the last few years huge for tennis, there has also been an unusually large number of “Walkovers” (at least seven at 2024 US Open).
If you haven’t heard the term before (let’s be honest, Tennis bar is not always easy to understand), you are not alone. In front of we unpack what a walkover means in tennis, why it happens and how it differs from pension. Read on to get the complete summary before we see another walkover happen in real time.
What is a WALKER?
In tennis, a walkover means that a player automatically moves on to the next game round. According to US Tennis Association (Usta), there are some reasons why this may happen:
- An administrative error.
- Illness, injury or personal circumstance.
WALKOVERS versus retirement
A walkover can occur even if a player retires from a match due to a scheduling conflict. Since the tennis calendar was specially packed in 2024 (perhaps due to the Olympics), this was probably a reason for the sudden up to Walkovers. In terms of the difference between a WALKER and Pension: A WALKER must be initiated before A match, not under. So if a player were to withdraw from a competition because it was injured in the middle of the match or while the competition was still going on, it would be considered a pension.
Walkvers versus default values
The biggest difference between a walkover and a standard lies in that initiates the action: a player is the one who initiates a WALKER, while a standard is initiated by the chair’s judge. For example, a standard may occur if a player refuses to play for a reason that is not allowed by the rules for Walkovers. But there are other reasons too. “Examples of this type of standard include a player who does not show up, a player who is standard for latency and a player who is standard to get an injection, infusion or supplementary oxygen,” the rules say.
In 2020, for example, 20 o’clock the Grand Slam Singles title winner Novak Djokovic was standard from his fourth round of US Open Match (and then the entire tournament), for Meet the line judge with a ball.
Does a WALKER count as a loss?
Although the phrase “won by WALKER” is used, a WTA spokesman Popsugar told us that a walkover is not counted as a match win or a match loss for any of the players, which means it does not affect their profit record. But pensions do Count as a match win or loss for the players.
Samantha Brodsky is a former assistant editor at PS. She uses her gymnasting background to inform her sports and fitness coverage and drive through Peloton videos in her spare time.
Chandler Plante (She/her) is the assistant health and fitness editor for PS. She has over four years of experience in professional journalism, who previously worked as an editorial assistant for the magazine People and contributes to Ladygunn, Millie and Bustle Digital Group.