Walkover

A walkover is a match that is never played: one player withdraws before it starts, usually through injury or illness, and the opponent advances to the next round. The result sheet shows "w/o" instead of a score. It is distinct from a retirement, which happens after the match has begun, and from a default, which is a disqualification.

When you see it

A withdrawal before a player's first match does not leave a hole in the draw. If it comes before the draw is made, the next player on the acceptance list moves in; once the draw exists, the spot goes to a lucky loser from qualifying, as both the ATP and the Grand Slam rulebooks provide. Once a player has won a round, a withdrawal is a walkover for the next opponent, who gets a free day. In April 2026 Carlos Alcaraz withdrew before his second-round match in Barcelona with a wrist problem, the start of a five-month absence. Under ATP rules a player who wins by walkover is considered to have played a match, and at the majors the referee has authority to withhold prize money, in whole or in part, from a player who withdraws or retires.

Rule basis

ATP Official Rulebook, Chapter VII, 7.20 (Lucky Losers, Substitutions and Vacancies); Grand Slam Rule Book 2026, prize money provisions for withdrawals and retirements, and Main Draw entries, section h (Lucky Losers and Substitutions).