"It is important to take that break" - Tsitsipas defends himself after taking another extended break

Despite the controversy surrounding his extended bathroom break when he faced Andy Murray in the first round, Stefanos Tsitsipas was back at it again in his second round match at the 2021 US Open.

The third seed defeated Adrian Mannarino in four sets in their Wednesday night encounter, but one of the main talking points from the match was that the Greek star took another extended bathroom break during the match. Furthermore, Tsitsipas took the seven-minute break immediately after Mannarino had won the third set, possibly halting the Frenchman's momentum. This led to him being booed by sections of the crowd, yet he still maintained his innocence in the post-match conference.

"I said we (Murray and I) should both discuss it, the two of us, because I followed the rules. I didn’t break any rules. I think there is a rule for that which doesn’t specify the time you have to spend in the bathroom,” said Tsitsipas.

“It is important. First of all, you carry less weight on you with all the sweat. You feel rejuvenated, you feel fresh, and you don’t have all the sweat bothering you and coming in your face, on your fingers, all over your body. It makes you feel better.

“For me, it is important to take that break. For someone else probably not. And everyone has his own time. I try to be as quick as I can. Sometimes i just need a bit more time. That’s all.”

The World No.3 attempted to validate his point by asking how long of a bathroom break Andy Murray had taken in his 2012 US Open final against Novak Djokovic.

"I have a question for you," Tsitsipas asked a journalist. "I don’t want other people’s business. But I remember watching it when I was younger. Can you please check when Andy Murray faced Novak Djokovic at the final here, before the fifth set, that break, can you please look it up and let me know next time?”

The journalist responded by saying Murray had taken less than three minutes, to which Tsitsipas retorted by asking why his difference of three minutes made such a significant difference.

“Less than three minutes, okay," responded Tsitsipas. "So three minutes more makes a difference?”