India, July 9 -- Wimbledon season is on, which means all eyes are on arguably the most prestigious competition in tennis. Such is the craze that even non-tennis fans turn towards the All England Lawn Tennis Club where the top seeds in the sport battle it out. But, despite the game's growing popularity, recent tennis enthusiasts can easily be puzzled by the terms and rules governing this sport. And, one such term is 'walkover.'

As per Sporting News, a walkover refers to a situation where a player pulls out of a match before it has started due to injury, illness, or removal from the event. The 2025 ATP Official Rulebook describes two situations where a walkover may be allowed: if the losing player is ill or injured prior to the start of the match or if they were subjected to penalties under the code of conduct prior to the match and hence cannot be permitted by the ATP or tournament supervisor to play.

In this case, the opponent automatically proceeds to the next round and can claim any monetary prize attached to such a position. Usually, no one is considered to be winning or losing in such a situation since the match was never played in the first place. Usually, a player who was eliminated during the qualifying rounds is brought up to step into the position of the player claiming a withdrawal.

A retirement, on the other hand, happens when a player is unable to proceed further while playing the match. In such a scenario, play has already started and is paused due to a player's inability to continue due to illness or injury mid-match.

A withdrawal occurs after a match has been played. As per Caanberry, this happens when a player entirely pulls out of an upcoming match and is usually announced before a draw is finalized.

And, default happens during or after a match has started and signals the disqualification of a player due to unsportsmanlike behavior or misconduct. The outcomes, in this scenario, usually depend on the timing of a default being announced.

By Stuti Gupta For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at contentservices@htdigital.in HT Digital streams Ltd
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