Dominic Thiem weighs in on Tsitsipas-Murray toilet break controversy, calls for a time limit since "it doesn't take long" to change clothes
Dominic Thiem, currently on the sidelines due to a wrist injury, has been invited to be a part of Tennis Channel's panel of analysts for the 2021 US Open. On Monday, Thiem gave his thoughts on the controversy surrounding Stefanos Tsitsipas' toilet breaks during his first-round match against Andy Murray.
Tsitsipas rallied from two sets to one down to ultimately prevail in five, but his toilet breaks at the end of the second and fourth sets didn't sit well with Murray. The Brit complained to the chair umpire during the fifth set, and during his post-match presser claimed that he had "lost respect" for Tsitsipas.
The Greek, on his part, was quick to defend his actions during his post-match interview, claiming that he wasn't breaking any rules. Tsitsipas also asserted that he took the toilet break at the end of the fourth set only because he wanted to change into a new set of clothes amid the humid conditions in New York.
The tennis community has since been divided over the issue. While some fans have accused Tsitsipas of exploiting the toilet break rule to his advantage, others believe Murray should have known better than to lose his cool over the issue.
Against that background, Dominic Thiem claimed that toilet breaks are sometimes necessary given how much players sweat in humid conditions. At the same time, the Austrian pointed out that it ideally shouldn't take a player more than five minutes to change their clothes.
Thiem also called for tournaments to introduce a time cap on toilet breaks in order to ensure players are not wronged in the future.
"There's no way around that [taking a washroom break], especially if you sweat that much," Thiem said. "But there should be a time limit to that because if you go out to change all your clothes, it doesn't take long, 3-4 minutes, maximum 5, so there should be a time limit on that."
Dominic Thiem further opined that the controversy and the level of play made for an entertaining match which was "great for tennis". The Austrian also empathized with the perspectives of both Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andy Murray, given the playing conditions at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"First of all, it was a hell of a match," Thiem said. "Great for tennis. It's also nice that things are heating up from time to time."
"I saw most of the match and I can understand Andy," he added. "But my point of view is that, especially with the conditions of New York, you need to go out in a five-setter at least twice because you just need to change your pants."
"I heard Andy's press conference and he was right" - Dominic Thiem
During the interaction, Dominic Thiem expressed agreement with Andy Murray's point of view about the difficulty of resuming play after a long break.
The Scot claimed during his presser that it was hard for him to maintain his rhythm after Stefanos Tsitsipas took the second toilet break. Murray pointed out that athletes often feel stiffness in their muscles if they rest for a while during strenuous matches, and Thiem seconded that.
"I heard Andy's press conference and he was right," the 27-year-old said. "It just cools down your body and you are getting stiff and it is not easy at all."