"I really can’t. I need to go to the toilet. I feel it’s going to go out. It’s not a joke." - Arthur Gea desperate to go for a break against Khachanov at Roland Garros

Arthur Gea was in a spot of bother in his first round defeat against Karen Khachanov at Roland Garros. Halfway through the first set, he desperately needed the toilet, having his plea rejected by the umpire before finally being able to go.

This was to the dismay of Khachanov who ended up becoming the first seed to make it into the second round at the French Open, continuing his 100% record in the tournament at this stage. He took a 4-0 lead before an attempted comeback by Gea was halted. The second set was marred by missed break points by the wildcard who would lose the tiebreak 7-3. Khachanov then ruthlessly bageled his opponent to seal an impressive 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-0 win.

Khachanov was in control in the first set while 4-2 ahead. Then, a troubling problem occurred for Gea. He rushed over to the umpire and hurriedly said: "I really can’t. I need to s***. I feel it’s going to go out. It’s not a joke."

This was refused. By the letter of the law, players are allowed medical time-outs to cover for illness. This not cover going to the toilet. This was unfortunate for the Frenchman who was desperate to go. "I can’t, I can’t," Gea argued. "Just explain the situation. I’m going to s*** on the f****** court, I’m sick. I have diarrhoea."

He then returned to the baseline, getting through a gruelling 10-shot rally to confirm the hold and go within one of the Russian. Getting the approval of the umpire, he darted away from the court and to the toilet. This took around four minutes before he came back onto the court.

Great Britain Billie Jean King Cup captain Anne Keothavong admitted that it was not the best scenario to be in, but due to the stomach issue he had little choice. "It’s not ideal when it’s not a change of ends to see your opponent go off court, but when you’ve got to go, you got to go," she said. "We suspect it might be a stomach issue, it’s the only reason that you’re allowed to run off the court like that. Disruptive, but Khachanov does have the experience."

When he came back, the Khachanov momentum had disappeared and Gea created three break point chances. Khachanov re-gathered himself and rebuffed these efforts enroute to going a set to the good. While it was an awkward situation for Gea, it was also tough for the number 13 seed.

"The coaches looked a little bit confused," former British tennis player Laura Robson said on TNT Sports. "He was off the court for four minutes, then 4-2 rolls around, Khachanov serving, then it’s an immediate 0-40 on his own serve, three break points Gea had. Because it just disrupted the rhythm. You can see Karen wondering what’s going on there."

Former British number one Tim Henman had his say. "It’s not ideal from the Frenchman’s point of view, but Khachanov has to serve that next game, so I’m sure he was very frustrated he had the delay. Perhaps he didn’t deal with it brilliantly, because he lost the next three points to go down 0-40. But then really dug in. If your opponent is suffering with any kind of physical issue, you want to make them work, make them move. You don’t want to make unforced errors. He did manage to turn it around."