Tsitsipas' mother on Djokovic's bathroom breaks: "When he came back, I knew he was going to win"
Stefanos Tsitsipas' mother, Julia Salnikova, spoke about the 2021 French Open final between her son and Novak Djokovic. The Greek led 2 sets to 0, then the Serb took a bathroom break, then won the match in 5 sets.
She recalls: "When Novak went to the toilet, the break was interminable. We were all sitting and waiting. But everything went according to plan. When he came back, I knew he was going to win.
He came back different. How did it go? That's a question for Novak. I'd say it was a miracle. What do I think of the theory that Djokovic often takes false medical breaks?
If it's allowed by the rules... I suppose if you're playing with your best friend on a lawn somewhere, not for money, but just for fun, that would be disrespectful. But here, it's totally within the rules."
Djokovic, Novak
Tsitsipas, Stefanos
What's the difference between the covert approach of taking a long bathroom break and the more overt approach of having a meltdown like a toddler like McEnroe used to do? It's not fair to the opponent and the rules should be changed to reflect that simple truth.