Noncompleted Matches in Professional Women's Tennis (1975-2024): Epidemiology, Trends, and Associated Factors of Walkovers and Defaults.

BACKGROUND: Walkovers (WOs) and Defaults are significant occurrences in professional tennis, leading to uncompleted matches. WOs typically result from injuries, illnesses, or unforeseen circumstances, while Defaults stem from code of conduct violations. Understanding their epidemiology is essential for optimizing competition structure and injury prevention strategies. HYPOTHESES: The incidence of WOs in Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tournaments increases over time. Both WOs and Defaults are associated with competition-related factors. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3. METHODS: A total of 706,816 singles matches from WTA tournaments between 1975 and 2024 were analyzed. To assess the occurrence of WOs and Defaults, potential associated factors were analyzed using absolute and relative epidemiological measures. RESULTS: The overall incidence of WOs was 5.3 per 1000 matches (95% CI, 5.13-5.47), with a slight increase observed in recent years. The WTA Tour recorded the highest incidence (incidence proportion [IP], 5.62; 95% CI, 5.28-5.98). WOs were most frequent in qualifying rounds (IP, 8.09; 95% CI, 7.66-8.55), final rounds (IP, 7.22; 95% CI, 6.75-7.73), and on carpet courts (IP, 7.21; 95% CI, 6.39-8.11). Defaults were extremely rare, with an overall incidence of 0.15 per 1000 matches (95% CI, 0.12-0.18). The highest Default incidence was recorded in qualifying rounds (IP, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.14-0.28) and was most frequent on hard courts (IP, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.13-0.22). CONCLUSION: Competitive structure and playing surface play a role in the occurrence of WOs and Defaults. These findings underscore the importance of injury prevention strategies, fair play policies, and player support systems to minimize disruptions in competition. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Understanding the epidemiology of WOs and Defaults can help inform injury prevention strategies, optimize tournament formats, and guide policy development to reduce uncompleted matches in the WTA.