French tennis player Arthur Gea was forced to run off court for an emergency bathroom break during his French Open match on Sunday. The 21-year-old received a wild card invitation from Roland Garros organizers to participate in the main draw in Paris.
Gea was trailing 13th-seeded Karen Khachanov 4-2 when he started to suffer with stomach problems. He pleaded with the chair umpire to allow him to return to the locker room, but the official initially asked him to wait until after the game.
"I need to go to the bathroom. I can't move anymore. I'm gonna s*** on the f***ing court," Gea told the chair umpire in French. Two officials then came onto the court to discuss the situation, and Gea told them he was suffering from a bout of diarrhea.
Then, after winning a game, Gea sprinted off court and back to the locker room for relief. Gea said the umpire allowed him the break because of medical circumstances and that he was given some medicine to settle his stomach pain.
Usually, bathroom breaks are only permitted between sets. Russia's Khachanov protested to the chair umpire as three minutes passed between games at a point in the match that was not a changeover when players change ends.
Stomach Illness and Intense Heat
After the match, Gea said he had not felt ill the night before but started feeling unwell when he woke up in the morning. "During the match it was even worse," he said. "I had to go to the toilet really quick."
His situation was not helped by the intense heat at Roland Garros with lunchtime temperatures hitting 31 degrees Celsius (88 Fahrenheit). "It was harder than usual, because I was ill," he said.
Khachanov eventually won the match against the 135th-ranked Gea 6-3, 7-6, 6-0.