French player Arthur Gea was embroiled in a contentious incident on the opening day of the French Open, as he ran off court for around four minutes following a heated exchange with the umpire.
In roasting hot conditions in Paris, Gea was embroiled in a tense match against Karen Khachanov when he insisted he needed to leave the court to go to the toilet.
The umpire did not feel he was asking to take a break at an appropriate moment and encouraged him to play on, with his response leaving little to the imagination.
“I really can’t,” said an irate Gea. “I need to s***. I feel it’s going to go out. It’s not a joke.”
He went on to add: “I can’t, I can’t. Just explain the situation. I’m going to s*** on the f****** court, I’m sick. I have diarrhoea.”
More Tennis News
‘Everyone loves to hate him’ – Former British No 1 suggests French Open contender is unpopular
Jannik Sinner forehand could be an injury threat as respected coach says: ‘I wouldn’t teach it’
Khachanov didn’t look impressed by the timing of the break, but he went on to win the match 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-0, with Gea’s energy levels dropping dramatically in the final set.
There is an etiquette in tennis that toilet breaks need to be taken at a moment that does not disadvantage your opponent, but this appeared to be more of a medial issue than a tactical move from Gea.
“It’s not ideal from the Frenchman’s point of view, but Khachanov has to serve that next game, so I’m sure he was very frustrated he had the delay,” Henman told TNT Sports.
“Perhaps he didn’t deal with it brilliantly, because he lost the next three points to go down 0-40. But then really dug in.
“If your opponent is suffering with any kind of physical issue, you want to make them work, make them move. You don’t want to make unforced errors. He did manage to turn it around.”
Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.
The final result ensured the incident that took place in the first set of the match was forgotten long before the end, with wildcard Gea clearly not fit enough to compete with a player who was ranked a lot higher than him.
READ NEXT: Jannik Sinner rated ‘best in the world’ in crucial area by Boris Becker
The post Roland Garros controversy: ‘I’m going to s*** on the f****** court’, claims irate French player appeared first on Tennis365.
Leave a Reply