ATP to limit toilet breaks for 2022 season

PARIS: Players on the ATP Tour will be restricted to bathroom breaks of no more than three minutes from next season after a series of lengthy toilet visits led to accusations of gamesmanship.

The clock will begin when a player reaches the bathroom, with players allowed an additional two minutes for a change of clothes, the ATP confirmed Monday to AFP.

Players will be only be permitted one bathroom break per match, and it can only be taken in between sets.

Stefanos Tsitsipas was ridiculed by Alexander Zverev and Andy Murray for taking extended bathroom breaks at key moments in matches at the US Open and in Cincinnati, moves they view as gamesmanship.

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But they have long been used as a tactical reset and a chance for a player to clear their mind.

Novak Djokovic twice took breaks while trailing by two sets at this year’s French Open, against Lorenzo Musetti, and then Tsitsipas in the final.