a walkover in tennis occurs when one player advances to the next round of a tournament without having to play a match this can happen for a variety of reasons such as injury illness or disqualification of the opponent it is a somewhat controversial aspect of the sport as some players may feel cheated out of the opportunity to compete and showcase their skills however walkovers are a common occurrence in tennis especially in lower level tournaments where players may not have the same level of commitment or physical fitness ultimately a walkover can be seen as both a blessing and a curse depending on the circumstances surrounding it