Watch: Stefanos Tsitsipas jokes he will "sweat less" in Indian Wells which would make for "less bathroom breaks"
Stefanos Tsitsipas is the second seed at this week's BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. During his press conference ahead of the start of the tournament, Tsitsipas poked fun at himself regarding the controversial bathroom breaks that had become the talk of the town at last month's US Open.
Indian Wells has desert-like conditions, and the Greek noted how the dryness of the atmosphere was a good thing for him since he would sweat less. That in turn means he wouldn't have to take too many breaks to change his clothes, so no one would complain about it and no further controversies would arise.
"It's very dry here. We know that when we come here the conditions are very dry," Tsitsipas said. "That is good for me because I guess I sweat less which makes for less bathroom breaks which makes for less complaints so a very good sign so far."
Self-awareness 💯🤪
@StefTsitsipas #BNPPO21 https://t.co/zH9eDGSgew
Tsitsipas has been given a first-round bye at Indian Wells due to his seeding. The 23-year-old begins his campaign against either Pedro Martinez or Roberto Marcora.
Why Stefanos Tsitsipas' lengthy bathroom breaks sparked a huge controversy at the 2021 US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has developed a habit of taking long bathroom breaks in the middle of matches, in order to change his sweaty clothes. But this habit resulted in a huge controversy at the 2021 US Open.
During his first-round match against Andy Murray in New York, Tsitsipas took an almost seven-minute long bathroom break at the end of the fourth set. That didn't sit well with the former World No. 1, who blasted his younger opponent for his supposed gamesmanship and stated that he had lost respect for the Greek.
Murray claimed that it wasn't the break per se that rattled him, but the length of it, especially since it came at a crucial moment in the match. The Scot lost his serve game immediately after the resumption of play, before going on to lose the match in five sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, on his part, later said he had done nothing wrong and that the rules permitted him to take a break. Tsitsipas was also separately accused of receiving coaching tips during his break by Alexander Zverev, something that the Greek denied vehemently.
The drama surrounding the bathroom breaks has prompted the ATP to consider changing the rules regarding them. But tennis fans would be glad to know that Tsitsipas can see the lighter side of the whole matter.
Incidentally, this is not the first time that the 23-year-old has made a cheeky comment about bathroom breaks. Last month. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem had exchanged in a hilarious exchange on Instagram with reference to the whole controversy.