What is a walkover and why does it matter at the US Open Tennis Championships?
The US Open Tennis Championships are under way, and a record number of walkovers have already occurred due to the very competitive nature of the demanding, nearly month-long competition.
In the men’s draw, Jiri Lehecka emerged victorious in a walkover in Round 1 and Novak Djokovic, Tallon Griekspoor, and Frances Tiafoe all prevailed in walkovers in Round 2. In the women’s division, Lucia Bronzetti, Varvara Lepchenko, and Wang Qiang all won easily in Round 1.
However, what is a walkover and how does it operate exactly?
What is a walkover?
To put it simply, a walkover occurs when a player forfeits before the match and lets their opponent go to the next round without ever hitting a shot.
August 26: Radu Albot of Moldova is hit by Serbia’s Novak Djokovic. A walkover occurs when a player goes to the next round automatically without having to play. This could occur as a result of the opponent’s illness, injury, or violation of the code of conduct.
In this instance, a hip issue forced Alex De Minaur to withdraw from the quarterfinal matchup against Djokovic.
What is the difference between a retirement and walkover?
When a tennis match does not go as expected, the terms “walkover” and “retirement” are used to describe various scenarios.
When a player enters a game but is unable to finish it because of a sickness, injury, or other circumstance, they retire. When a player withdraws from a match, the winner is deemed to be their opponent.
Retirement happens during the game, usually following the conclusion of a set or multiple.
In conclusion, a retirement occurs during the match, whereas a walkover occurs prior to the start of the match.
US Open continues Friday with second, third rounds of singles and doubles matches
On Friday, August 30, Day Five of the US Open Tennis Championship will include three rounds of matches. This round’s bracket has not yet been decided upon.
The second round of the men’s and women’s singles competition begins at 11 a.m., as does the second round of the men’s and women’s doubles play.
At 7 p.m., the men’s and women’s singles matches resume with the second round.