German junior tennis player Ida Wobker has been disqualified from Wimbledon after throwing her racket in frustration, striking a spectator in the crowd. The incident occurred during her girls' singles first-round match on Saturday.
Match Incident and Default
Wobker, ranked 24th in the ITF junior rankings, was trailing 6-0, 5-5 against Romania's Maria Valentina Pop. After committing her 44th unforced error on a shot that went beyond the baseline, the 15-year-old threw her racket into the ground. The racket bounced into the stands on Court 11, hitting a spectator.
The chair umpire immediately halted the match and called a supervisor onto the court. According to The Athletic, no one appeared to be injured, but the umpire defaulted Wobker, awarding the match to Pop. The match had lasted 91 minutes, with Wobker also committing 11 double faults.
ITF Rules on Racket Abuse
Article III, Section O of the ITF's Grand Slam rulebook states: "Players shall not violently or with anger hit, kick or throw a racquet or other equipment within the precincts of the tournament site. Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a fine up to $50,000 for each violation." It adds: "In addition, if such violation occurs during a match (including the warmup), the player shall be penalised in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule."
The point penalty schedule allows for warnings, point penalties, and game penalties for repeat offences. However, Section T of the same article permits officials to default a player for a single violation. The rule says: "The Referee in consultation with the Grand Slam Supervisor may declare a default for either a single violation of this Code or pursuant to the Point Penalty Schedule set out above. In all cases of default, the decision of the Referee in consultation with the Grand Slam Supervisor shall be final and unappealable."
Aftermath and Next Round
Pop, who made only seven unforced errors and four double faults, will face either British wildcard Daniella Britton or Argentina's Sol Ailin Larraya Guidi in the next round. Wobker's disqualification ends her Wimbledon campaign abruptly.
