What Does a Walkover Mean in Tennis?

With Wimbledon in full swing, everyone's a tennis fan (or at least trying to become one). Just look to the enduring tenniscore trend, viral tennis-themed beverages, and buzzy tennis discourse (we're still not over the size of the French Open trophy). But with the past few years being huge for tennis, there's also been an unusually high number of “walkovers” (at least seven at the 2024 US Open).

If you haven't heard the term before (let's be honest, tennis jargon isn't always easy to understand), you're not alone. Ahead, we unpack what a walkover means in tennis, why it happens, and how it differs from retirement. Read on to get the complete rundown before we see another walkover happen in real time.

What Is a Walkover?

In tennis, a walkover means one player automatically advances to the next round of play. According to the United States Tennis Association (USTA), there's a few reasons why this might happen:

Walkovers Versus Retirements

A walkover can occur even if a player retires from a match due to a scheduling conflict. Since the tennis calendar was especially packed in 2024 (perhaps due to the Olympics), this was likely one reason for the sudden uptick in walkovers. As for the difference between a walkover and retirement: a walkover must be initiated before a match, not during. So if a player were to withdraw from a competition due to being injured mid-match or while the competition was still ongoing, that would be considered a retirement.

Walkovers Versus Defaults

The main difference between a walkover and a default lies in who initiates the action: a player is the one to initiate a walkover, whereas a default is initiated by the chair umpire. For instance, a default may occur if a player refuses to play for a reason that's not allowed by the rules governing walkovers. But there are other reasons too. “Examples of this kind of default include a player who does not show up, a player who is defaulted for lateness, and a player who is defaulted for receiving an injection, infusion, or supplemental oxygen,” the rules state.

In 2020, for example, 20-time Grand Slam singles title winner Novak Djokovic was defaulted from his fourth-round US Open match (and subsequently the entire tournament), for hitting the line judge with a ball.

Does a Walkover Count as a Loss?

Although the phrase “won by walkover” is used, a WTA spokesperson told Popsugar that a walkover does not count as a match win or a match loss for either player, meaning it does not affect their win-loss record. Retirements, though, do count as a match win or loss for the players.

Samantha Brodsky is a former assistant editor at PS. She uses her gymnast background to inform her sports and fitness coverage, powering through Peloton videos in her free time.

Chandler Plante (she/her) is an assistant health and fitness editor for PS. She has over four years of professional journalism experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributing to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group.