Examples of Bye in a Sentence

Roger Federer received a bye because he’s a top-seeded player.

I’ve been playing tournaments for years and never received a bye.

How a Bye Works

A bye in tennis is typically the result of specific draw sizes where the number of players does not allow for every player to participate in a first-round match. Here’s a look at how many players receive a bye per draw size in singles:

• Draw of 28: the top 4 seeds awarded a bye
• Draw of 48: the top 16 seeds awarded a bye
• Draw of 56: the top 8 seeds awarded a bye
• Draw of 96: the top 32 seeds awarded a bye

For doubles, a draw of 24 would result in a bye for the top 8 seeds.

As you can see, tournaments award byes to seeded players who have the highest rankings. The exception to this rule are cases where a bye is a result of insufficient direct acceptances.

Common Questions & Answers

Here are a few common qustions we get about the term bye in tennis.

What does a bye mean in a tennis draw?

A bye refers to the automatic advancement of a seeded singles player or doubles team from one round to the next without having to compete against an opponent.

How do you get a bye in tennis?

Players receive a bye when they are a top seed in a tournament, and the draw size does not permit every player to have a first-round opponent. Seeded players are those with the highest rankings before the start of the competition.

What does bye stand for in tennis?

The term bye is not an acronym. Therefore, the letters of the word to not stand for anything. Instead, a bye refers to the automatic advancement of a seeded singles player or doubles team from one round to the next without having to compete.

What’s the difference between a bye and a walkover?

Tournaments award byes to top-seeded players in the first round. Any subsequent rounds where a player automatically advances to the next round is considered a walkover. Injured or sick players frequently are the cause of such a situation.