French hopeful Arthur Gea made a memorable, if uncomfortable, French Open debut Sunday, dramatically dashing from his first-round match for an emergency bathroom break early in the first set.
Trailing 13th-seeded Karen Khachanov 4-2, Gea urgently informed the chair umpire in French, “I need to go to the bathroom. I can’t move anymore. I’m going to (go) on the court,” before hastily running off Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
This unscheduled mid-set departure, typically reserved for breaks between sets, drew a protest from Khachanov as three minutes passed without play. The 135th-ranked Gea ultimately fell to his opponent 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Gea later explained the umpire permitted the break due to “medical circumstances,” and he was given medicine for stomach pain. He said he had woken up feeling unwell, a condition that intensified during play.
“During the match it was even worse,” he said. “I had to go to the toilet really quick.”
The intense Roland Garros heat, with lunchtime temperatures hitting 31 degrees Celsius (88 Fahrenheit), likely compounded his discomfort.
“It was harder than usual, because I was ill,” the 21-year-old added.
Gea had received a wild card invitation from organizers to participate in the main draw.
Among the early matches on Day 1 of the clay-court Grand Slam were 13th-seeded Khachanov against Gea on Court Suzanne-Lenglen and 15th-seeded Marta Kostyuk against Oksana Selekhmeteva on Court Simonne-Mathieu.
Spectators folded newspapers in half and fanned themselves to keep cool as players on court attempted to stay hydrated.
The opening match on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the main stadium, was due to start an hour later with 11th-seeded Belinda Bencic playing Sinja Kraus.
The night match on Chatrier features three-time champion Novak Djokovic against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Two days after his 39th birthday, Djokovic will play a men’s record 82nd Grand Slam tournament — one more than Roger Federer and Feliciano Lopez.
