German player disqualified from Wimbledon’s junior tournament for throwing racket into the stands

Spectators shelter from the sun as they watch the third round women’s singles match between Belinda Bencic of Switzerland and Anna Kalinskaya of Russia, at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

LONDON — A 15-year-old German player was disqualified from Wimbledon’s junior tournament after she angrily threw her racket on the grass and it bounced into the stands, the All England Club confirmed Sunday.

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The incident involving Ida Wobker occurred toward the end of the second set of a girls’ singles first-round match on Saturday.

Romanian opponent Maria Valentina Pop had won the opening set 6-0 and it was 5-5 all in the second when Wobker missed a backhand long and lost her cool. She threw the racket toward the court and it bounced up and into the few rows of stands lining Court 11.

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It wasn’t clear if the racket hit any spectators but Wobker walked over toward the stands and got her racket back.

After a lengthy wait for a verdict from tournament officials, the chair umpire announced that Wobker was defaulted for unsportsmanlike conduct.

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There is no prize money in the junior tournaments, so Wobker was not fined.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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