Arthur Gea abruptly ran off the tennis court for an emergency bathroom break during his French Open debut
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“I cannot wait, it’s not a joke,” the 21-year-old French pro tennis player said to the umpire before sprinting to the bathroom
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Following the match, the French tennis star said that he woke up that morning feeling unwell
Arthur Geapaused the first set of hisFrench Opendebut to take an emergency bathroom break.
On Sunday, May 24, the 135th-ranked French tennis star, 21, dramatically dashed off the Suzanne-Lenglen Court in Paris after telling the umpire that he had to urgently use the restroom in the middle of his match against Karen Khachanov.
“I need to go to the bathroom. I can't move anymore,” Gea said to the chair umpire before running off, according to theAssociated Press. “I'm going to (go) on the court.”
“I cannot wait. It's not a joke,” he added, as seen in a TNT Sports video.
While Gea was trailing Khachanov 4-2 when he abruptly paused the match, Khachanov protested to the umpire as three minutes passed before they were able to resume.
According to aruleintroduced by the Association of Tennis Professionals in 2022, players can take a maximum of three minutes once they have entered the toilet. Additionally, a player may only take one toilet break per match during a set break.
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In this case, Gea said that the umpire allowed him the break because of “medical circumstances,” noting that he was given medications to ease his stomach pain.
Ultimately, Khachanov won the match 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-0.
Following the match, Gea said that he woke up that morning feeling unwell after not feeling any symptoms the night before.
“I was feeling really, really bad this morning in particular. But during the match was even worse because it was a bit hot and I had to go to the toilet really quick and they didn't allow it,” he said during apress conference. “I was asking the referee because I was feeling really, really bad and then the doctor came and obviously I could go out and it was not so long.”
In addition to Gea's illness, his match against Khachanov took place during a grueling heat wave in Paris with temperatures nearing 90 degrees Fahrenheit. As spectators fanned themselves with newspapers in the stands, players attempted to keep cool and stay hydrated on the court.
“I was feeling a bit better but it was still really bad,” Gea continued of his condition after returning the bathroom. “It was really, really hard physically with my health.”
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