"I don't understand the rule" - Daniil Medvedev laments not being allowed to go on toilet break during Canadian Open 2R loss

Following his defeat in the second round of the 2024 Canadian Open, Daniil Medvedev expressed his frustration at not being permitted to take a toilet break. Last year, Medvedev made it to the quarterfinals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament before falling to eventual runner-up Alex de Minaur.

Medvedev was seeded third in the singles events in Montreal and kicked off his campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. However, the Russian got off to a disappointing start as he lost his opening match to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 4-6, 6-1, 2-6.

During the post-match press conference, Daniil Medvedev was questioned about the impact of not being allowed a toilet break on his performance. In response, the former World No.1 explained that the lack of a break had indeed affected his game, citing the long distance from the Centre Court to the restroom facilities as a challenge.

"Ah, the toilet. It was a problem because I couldn't go out. I had to go out after the second set because I had forgotten that walking to the toilets is a very long walk here. It's more than two minutes, and it's far from Center Court," Medvedev said.

"I had to go out because I had waited too long being inactive, so I thought that I could do it during the set, but the rule is not clear to me. Sometimes they let me go during the set. I know normally you have to do that within one hour and a half of the changeover," he added.

Medvedev admitted that he was unclear about the tournament's rules regarding toilet breaks which led to confusion. He disclosed that while some umpires had allowed him longer breaks in the past, he was denied the opportunity of the same during his match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

The World No.5 expressed his frustration with the inconsistency and stated that he didn't understand the rules. He also suggested that having toilets closer to the Center Court would make it easier for athletes to take necessary breaks.

"Sometimes I do it too fast, and I try to walk fast, and the umpire says, Take your time. Today I was told, No, you can't go. So, in fact, in the end I don't understand the rule, but I believe the tournament should put toilets next to Center Court. It would be easier. I don't think it's very expensive," Daniil Medvedev said.

Daniil Medvedev talks about how not being allowed to take a toilet break affected his game: "Cost me some energy in the end"

In the aforementioned press conference, Daniil Medvedev expressed his frustration with the rules regarding taking a toilet break, claiming that it harmed his performance which subsequently led him to lose his second-round match at the 2024 Canadian Open. He said that not being allowed to take a break cost him "energy" in the end.

"What affected me is the rule. The rest is not too bad. It's not a problem. Here the problem was that it takes two minutes to go there and two minutes to come back, which is four minutes just walking. So I was stupid, and I had to go out. I didn't react quickly enough, so I decided to stay on the court. In fact, this cost me some energy in the end," Daniil Medvedev said.

Despite facing an early exit in the singles competition in Montreal, Medvedev is still in the running in the doubles event where he has partnered with compatriot Roman Safiullin. The Russian duo defeated the pair of Ivan Dodig and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-4, 6-3 in the first round.

Daniil Medvedev and Safiullin then overcame the sixth-seeded pair of Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 3-6, 6-1, 10-7 in the second round to advance to the quarterfinals where they will face the pair Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury.