German junior tennis player Ida Wobker has made an immediate return to Wimbledon just days after being disqualified for hurling her racket into the crowd. The 15-year-old, ranked 24th in the ITF junior standings, secured a winning comeback in the girls' doubles event on Tuesday.
Disqualification Incident
Wobker was disqualified during her girls' singles first-round match on Saturday after her racket rebounded and struck a spectator on Court 11. She was trailing 6-0, 5-5 against opponent Maria Valentina Pop when her frustration boiled over. After falling 40-0 behind in the second set, Wobker sent a shot beyond the baseline and angrily threw her racket to the ground, which then bounced and hit a fan.
The umpire immediately defaulted the teenager and summoned a supervisor. According to The Athletic, no one in the crowd was injured. Pop was awarded the victory after 91 minutes of play.
Return to Competition
Wobker made her return on Tuesday in the girls' doubles, partnering Denisa Zoldakova. The pair defeated Barbara Kostecka and Mariia Makarova in straight sets, advancing to the round of 16. They are scheduled to face American duo Lani Chang—daughter of former French Open champion Michael Chang—and Margaret Sohns on Wednesday.
ITF Rules on Unsportsmanlike Conduct
According to the ITF Grand Slam rulebook, Article III, Section R defines unsportsmanlike conduct as "any misconduct by a player that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport." Section O 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 also notes that if such violation occurs during a match, the player shall be penalized according to the Point Penalty Schedule.
