Stefanos Tsitsipas jokes Indian Wells conditions will mean fewer bathroom breaks and 'less complaints'
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Updated 07/10/2021 at 12:24 GMT
World number three Stefanos Tsitsipas lampooned his US Open spat with Andy Murray as he joked that conditions at Indian Wells would lead to fewer complaints. Murray said he had "lost respect" for his Greek opponent after Tsitsipas took a long bathroom break in New York. "I sweat less, which makes for less bathroom breaks which makes for less complaints," Tsitsipas said in Indian Wells.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas made light of the length of his bathroom breaks as he joked that the dry conditions at Indian Wells would make for “less complaints”.
The world number three has clashed with both Andy Murray and Alexander Zverev in recent months due to the length of his breaks.
Zverev accused Tsitsipas of taking his phone to the toilet earlier this year, while Murray claimed he had “lost respect” for the Greek player following their marathon five-set match at the US Open.
Tsitsipas won the first-round clash in just under five hours, but angered the British player after he received treatment on his left foot after the third set and then went to the toilet after winning the fourth.
Murray complained on court at the time and later joked on Twitter that it had taken his Greek opponent twice as long to go to the bathroom as it took Jeff Bezos to fly into space.
"It's just disappointing because I feel it influenced the outcome of the match," Murray said following their US Open meeting.
"I'm not saying I necessarily win that match for sure, but it had influence on what was happening after those breaks."
Tsitsipas insisted that he had not broken any rules and had “played by the guidelines” and suggested it was a matter that the pair should discuss in private.
However, it now seems that he is happy to joke about it publicly as he lampooned the incident during a press conference for the ATP event in the California desert.
“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.”
Tsitsipas has won two titles in 2021, including the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monte Carlo, to climb to a career-high world ranking of number three.
He will hope to add a third win of the year when he starts his campaign in Indian Wells in the round of 64.
The Greek player is on the same side of the draw as both Murray and Zverev, although he cannot meet either until the semi-finals in California.
Tsitsipas has also created headlines recently for his stance on vaccines, having said that he was against Covid-19 inoculation for young people.
The world number three said he believes the current vaccines have “not been tested enough”, and incredibly claimed that “for us young people I think it’s good to pass the virus because we’ll build immunity”.
He was again asked about the issue during his press conference in Indian Wells, but refused to be drawn on whether he has been vaccinated.
It was reported this week that authorities in Melbourne were considering making it mandatory for players competing at the Australian Open to be fully vaccinated.
However, Tsitsipas would not be drawn into the issue, saying: “I’m sorry but I’m not able to provide any of my medical records.”
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