Is Tennis’ Bathroom Break Being Abused?

Sep 02, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,
For those of us tennis aficionados, we could not take our eyes off the recent match between the US’ Serena Williams and her Estonian opponent, Annet Kontaveit. It was a match that was, to Serena, a must-win if only within the context of her recently announced evolution-cum-retirement plans. Of course, also for Annet, ranked the world’s number 2 seed, it was a must win for her in her quest to be crowned number one in woman tennis. Last night’s match saw Annet dominating in first two sets, ceding the first one by a mere tie-breaker and winning the second by a lopsided score of 6 to 2. Then came a bathroom break called by Serena, after which the entire complexion of the match changed, and we all know the eventual outcome – a much heralded win by Serena. I’ve been watching grand slam tennis tournaments over the years and I think I have a reasonably educated knowledge of the game and its myriad intricacies/strategies. My hats off to the great ambassadors of the game, who have helped make it, like cricket, a gentleman/gentlewoman’s game! However, over the recent past, what I’ve deemed a possibly negative strategy by a player or two, just could not escape my attention.

I’m referring to a bathroom break called by a player at that crucial moment of the game when he/she is faltering and likely facing defeat. Tennis is a game wherein psychology plays a huge role, and some players would engage in some degree of rackets (pun intended!) to overcome a low point and regain a psychological advantage. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. However, I’ve begun to suspect that the bathroom break, albeit a mere three minutes from the time the player reaches the bathroom, is being too often resorted to as a means of disturbing an opponent’s concentration. On a few occasions, I’ve seen Rafael Nadal, when his opponent is dominating, take such a break only to return to the court to swing the momentum to his side and proceed to win the match. Did this scenario play out last night when Serena, virtually outplayed in the first two sets, took such a break and returned, outplaying Annet and winning the match? Okay, it certainly may be argued that, in American football, the strategy of calling time-off a mere second or two before a winning field goal or extra point is kicked, obviously to affect the kicker’s concentration, is no different from tennis’ bathroom break. However, I submit, the distinction involved is that in football, it is an accepted strategy NOT based on a false pretense, while in tennis, the bathroom break may very well be so negatively based, thus rendering it a subtle form of cheating.

The question is, do the ends justify the means in a gentleman/gentlewoman’s game? Though I may be in the minority, I must answer the question with a resounding NO. To quote the late, great BL Crombie: “It matters not what you win or lose. It’s how you play the game.”
Yours truly,
Abel Peters

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