'I'm going to s*** on the court!' - Arthur Gea pleads for toilet break at French Open after bout of sickness with Karen Khachanov 'very frustrated'

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Karen Khachanov was seemingly left "very frustrated" after opponent Arthur Gea ran off court for around four minutes following a tense umpire exchange which saw him plead for a bathroom break.

Watch as desperate Gea pleads with umpire for toilet break in heated exchange

Video credit: TNT Sports

Playing in front of his home crowd at the French Open on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, Gea immediately fell a double-break behind - and it was after he cut into that deficit by claiming a break of his own that physical issues became apparent.

In an advantageous position, looking to consolidate as he served with advantage to make it 4-2 in the opening set, Gea headed to the chair umpire to complain of stomach issues he felt he could not work through.

"I really can’t," Gea said. "I need to s***. I feel it’s going to go out. It’s not a joke."

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To his anger, Gea was not permitted to immediately leave the court, and his physio was called to the chair. Players are allowed medical time-outs to cover for illness, but for the Frenchman, the more pressing issue was getting to the toilet.

"I can’t, I can’t," Gea pleaded. "Just explain the situation. I’m going to s*** on the f****** court, I’m sick. I have diarrhoea."

Time was of the essence for Gea, who returned to the baseline, and after sealing the hold with a 10-shot rally which culminated with Khachanov hitting long, he dashed to the tunnel - getting the nod of approval from the umpire before heading for the toilet.

Watch bizarre moment player sprints off court - 'When you've gotta go, you've gotta go'

Video credit: TNT Sports

This is not a typical situation, given at 4-2, it was not a change of ends. But, in the words of TNT Sports expert Anne Keothavong, "when you've got to go, you've got to go".

"It’s not ideal when it’s not a change of ends to see your opponent go off court, but when you’ve got to go, you got to go," she said. "We suspect it might be a stomach issue, it’s the only reason that you’re allowed to run off the court like that. Disruptive, but Khachanov does have the experience."

Gea was off court for around four minutes before returning, and he immediately put Khachanov on the back foot by earning three break points against the Russian.

Khachanov, though, recovered admirably to put the game on deuce, and dispatch the hold at the first opportunity.

"The coaches looked a little bit confused," Laura Robson said on TNT Sports' coverage. "He was off the court for four minutes, then 4-2 rolls around, Khachanov serving, then it’s an immediate 0-40 on his own serve, three break points Gea had. Because it just disrupted the rhythm. You can see Karen wondering what’s going on there."

Tim Henman added: "It’s not ideal from the Frenchman’s point of view, but Khachanov has to serve that next game, so I’m sure he was very frustrated he had the delay.

"Perhaps he didn’t deal with it brilliantly, because he lost the next three points to go down 0-40. But then really dug in.

"If your opponent is suffering with any kind of physical issue, you want to make them work, make them move. You don’t want to make unforced errors. He did manage to turn it around."

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