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."
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.