Sometimes nature calls, and as a French tennis pro Arthur Gea you learned the hard way, it doesn't matter how many people are watching.
Gea, 21, had to pause his first set of the French Open on Sunday, May 24, when he realized he couldn't wait any longer. Down 4-2 to Karen KhachanovGea asked for a break from the chair referee.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” cameras caught her imploring in French, according to the report The Associated Press. “I can't even move anymore. I'm about to (enter) the court.”
A video shared by TNT Sports also captured the athlete saying in English, “I can't wait… it's not a joke.”
Although his requests were initially rejected, the game ended up being delayed for almost three minutes when Gea relieved himself, perhaps just in time. According to the rules of the Association of Tennis Professionals, three minutes is the maximum amount of time a player can spend on a bathroom break during a match. They are also only allowed one per game.
Gea went on to lose in three sets.
He later revealed that he was eventually given a bathroom break – which usually comes between sets – due to “medical conditions” and that he was given medication to help settle his stomach. He also admitted that he had been sick the day before.
“During the game it was very bad,” he said. “I had to go to the bathroom very quickly.”
Gea added that the heat of Roland Garros did not help his condition.
“I was very sad this morning especially, but during the game it was very bad because it was a little hot and I had to go to the toilet quickly and they didn't let me,” he said in a press conference. “I was asking the referees because I was feeling bad, then the doctor came and it was clear that I could go out and it wasn't that long.”
After he unloaded his load, Gea said, “I was feeling better but it was still really bad. It was really hard physically for my health.”
Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev brought Bravo-level drama to the 2025 US Open on Sunday, August 24. Play was suspended during Medvedev's match against French rival Benjamin Bonzi at the tournament in New York City on Sunday after a cameraman entered the court in the third set. Bonzi, 29, was fixing his […]
Gea turned champion in 2023 and was ranked 135th in the world at the start of the tournament. Khachanov, 30, advanced to take Marco Trungelliti in the second round and expressed his sympathy for Gea's condition after the game.
“I think it's more of a question about the rules – when you can leave the court and when you can't,” he said in his press conference. “But as a person, I feel for him because sometimes you have that great need, what can you do, just accept and wait for him, the truth is, I was feeling bad for this boy.
