Walkover
A win awarded to one side because the opponent does not start, withdraws, or is absent.
Definition
A walkover occurs when a competitor advances or is declared the winner without the contest being properly played, because the opposing side fails to appear, withdraws before starting, or is disqualified beforehand. In knockout tournament draws it is often marked "w/o," and the advancing player progresses with no competitive scoreline recorded.
A walkover differs from a mid-match retirement or a forfeit in reason and timing: it typically means no meaningful play took place at all, such as an injured player pulling out before a tennis match begins. Because nothing was contested, results and statistics may be recorded differently from a completed match, and in some sports no score is entered at all.
Where you’ll hear “walkover”
Sports that use this term:
Tennis
A singles or doubles racquet sport that blends agility, strategy and stamina on court.
Badminton
A fast indoor racquet sport played with a shuttlecock that rewards agility and touch.
Football
The world’s most popular team sport — endless running, teamwork and community in one game.
Table Tennis
A fast, low-impact indoor racquet sport that sharpens reflexes and is easy to start.
Boxing
A striking combat sport built on footwork, timing and conditioning, practised from fitness drills to controlled sparring.
How it connects
The meaning-bearing relationships that place Walkover in the wider knowledge graph — each one with the reason it exists.
Commonly confused with
Close enough to be mixed up — the distinction is worth knowing.
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Strategies
- Building momentumMomentum is the sense that a contest is flowing one side's way — building it means stacking positive plays while working to interrupt an opponent's run.
- Transition PlayTransition play is the strategy of switching quickly between attack and defence the moment possession changes, exploiting the opponent's brief disorganisation.
Exercises
- Side plankA core hold on one forearm and the side of the foot that targets the muscles along your side.
- BurpeeA full-body exercise combining a squat, a plank, and a jump in one flowing movement.
- Russian twistA rotational core exercise where you twist your torso from side to side while seated and leaning back.
- Mountain climberA dynamic exercise where you drive your knees toward your chest one at a time from a plank.
- Step-upA movement where you step up onto a raised platform one leg at a time and step back down.
Scoring systems
- Tennis scoringTennis is scored in points, games and sets, using the distinctive 15–30–40 point sequence and a win-by-two margin at every level.
- Table tennis scoringTable tennis is scored on every rally to 11 points per game, won by two clear points, over a best-of odd number of games.
- Badminton scoringBadminton uses rally scoring to 21 points per game, with matches decided over the best of three games.
Skills
- RallyingThe skill of exchanging shots back and forth to build and win a point.
- TacklingThe skill of legally challenging an opponent to win the ball or stop their progress.
- Net playThe skill of controlling points close to the net with volleys and touch shots.
- ServingThe skill of putting the ball or shuttle into play to start a point or rally.
- Returning serveThe skill of reading and playing back an opponent’s serve to stay in the rally.
Rules
- Tennis serving rulesThe rules governing how a tennis point begins, including where the server stands and where the serve must land.
- Volleyball rotationThe rule that players rotate one position clockwise each time their team wins back the serve.
- Penalty kick awardA one-on-one kick against the goalkeeper awarded when a defending player commits a direct-free-kick foul inside their own penalty area.
- Direct and indirect free kicksThe two types of free kick awarded in football to restart play after a foul or other stoppage.
- Foot faultA serving fault called when the server's foot touches the baseline or court before striking the ball.
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Term
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-08-04
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