A tennis player receives a walkover when his or her opponent pulls out of the match before the match has started. Usually, such a case arises when the player is injured, ill or is under a code violation. At lower levels of the game, administrative reasons might hinder the proceedings of a match which may lead to one of the players withdrawing.
Since a player is receiving a walkover into the next round for a match that never took place, it is not counted as a win for the player. Similarly, for the player who withdrew, the match won’t count as a loss for him either. In men’s tennis, a player receives ranking points for the round he reached even if he reached that round by a walkover.
In women’s tennis, in order to receive ranking points for a walkover win, the player or team can win these points only if they have won a match prior in the tournament. If they are yet to win a match in the tournament and have received a walkover, then they will receive points only for the preceding round.
A player or team who advances through walkover will receive prize money for the round he or she has reached. In case one of the players wins a final through a walkover, then both players will receive runners-up prize money.
Additional rules pertaining to walkovers state that unless and until a player has the doctor’s approval, he or she must be present at the post-match ceremonies once they have announced their withdrawal.
