Stefanos Tsitsipas Defends Long U.S. Open Bathroom Breaks After Andy Murray Comments

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Stefanos Tsitsipas is making no apologies for the lengthy bathroom breaks he took during his first two matches at the 2021 U.S. Open.

After taking a bathroom break during his first-round win over Andy Murray, the No. 3 seed was at it again Wednesday, leaving the court for eight minutes during his second-round win over Adrian Mannarino.

According to ESPN, Tsitsipas said the following after the match regarding the breaks: “If I break a rule, sure, I’m guilty. I agree; I’m not doing something right. If I’m staying within the guidelines, then what’s the issue?”

Tsitsipas, who was booed by fans upon his return to the court Wednesday, added:

“I haven’t done anything wrong, so I don’t understand. The people love the sport; they come to watch tennis. I have nothing against them. I love the fans. But some people don’t understand. That’s all. They don’t understand. They haven’t played tennis at high level to understand how much effort and how much difficult it is to do what we are doing. Sometimes we need a short break to do what we have to do.“

The timing of the break may have been what miffed fans, as it came after Tsitsipas dropped the third set. Ultimately, the Greek star prevailed in four sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-0.

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

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