German teenager Ida Wobker was disqualified from the Wimbledon junior girls' tournament on Saturday after a frustrated outburst resulted in her racket striking spectators.
The 15-year-old was competing in the first round against Valentina Pop when the incident occurred with the match tied at 5-5 in the second set. After missing a backhand, Wobker threw her racket to the ground. It bounced up and into the stands surrounding Court 11.
It was not immediately clear if any spectators were hit by the racket. Wobker immediately apologized for the action, but officials issued a code violation, leading to her disqualification and an automatic win for Pop.
Under International Tennis Federation rules, players are prohibited from “violently or with anger hit, kick or throw a racquet or other equipment within the precincts of the tournament site.” The rules further define abuse of racquets or equipment as “intentionally and violently destroying or damaging racket or equipment or intentionally and violently hitting the net, court, umpire’s chair or other fixture during a match out of anger or frustration.”
Wobker was trailing in her match, having lost the first set 6-0. She committed 44 unforced errors and 11 double faults before her disqualification. In contrast, Pop made only seven unforced errors and four double faults.
Wobker, who is ranked 24th in the ITF's junior world rankings, later commented on the incident via an Instagram story, stating, "S--t happens, you learn from it!"
Pop advanced to the second round of the tournament but was subsequently defeated by Daniella Britton.