Mats Rosenkranz thought he was just freshening up between sets at an ATP Challenger event in Greece. Instead, his quick shower got him kicked out of the match entirely.
Tennis has some pretty bizarre rules compared to other sports. And this one really caught everyone off guard.
The whole thing started innocently enough. Rosenkranz had just won the first set 7-5 against Pietro Fellin at the ATP Challenger 50 event in Hersonissos. Both players decided to take a change of attire break, which is totally normal.
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Here’s where it gets interesting though.
Tennis players get two types of breaks between sets. There’s the regular bathroom break, which lasts three minutes. Then there’s the change of attire break, which gives you five minutes.
Fellin came back to the court first. The umpire was using his walkie-talkie to keep Rosenkranz updated on how much time he had left.
"Thirty seconds remaining," the umpire announced.
The confusion begins
When Rosenkranz was still off court as time ran out, Fellin started asking questions. Shouldn’t his opponent be back by now?
The umpire explained the rule correctly though. The five-minute limit starts when you enter the changing area, not when you need to be back on court.
"A change of attire break is limited to a maximum of five (5) minutes from the time the player enters the off-court changing area/toilet."
So far, so good. Rosenkranz was actually within the time limit.
But then the supervisor who’d been monitoring Rosenkranz’s break dropped a bombshell. The German player had used the shower.
The umpire seemed confused. He called for a supervisor to clarify the rules.
A costly ten seconds
Rosenkranz couldn’t understand what was happening. When the supervisor arrived and explained the situation, Rosenkranz tried to defend himself.
He’d only taken a "10-second shower," he said.
Didn’t matter. He was disqualified on the spot.
The ATP rulebook is crystal clear about this stuff. Bathroom breaks and change of attire breaks can only be used for those specific purposes. Nothing else.
"Toilet or change of attire breaks may only be taken on a set break and can be used for no other purpose."
It seems harsh, but the rules are the rules.
Casper Ruud was previously also fined for a similar breach of rules
This isn’t the first time a player’s gotten in trouble for bathroom break violations. Casper Ruud had his own awkward moment at the 2022 Canadian Open in Montreal.
The Norwegian requested a bathroom break but didn’t actually use the bathroom.
When he came back, umpire Fergus Murphy gave him a warning with a pretty detailed explanation.
"You have to go to the bathroom as well. That’s the rule. The rule is covered by the bathroom break rule. You have to go to the bathroom, that’s your business. You can change your clothes but you have to go to the bathroom when you say you’re going to the bathroom. When you don’t go I have to give you a warning for not going, that’s why I’m explaining it."
Lucky for Ruud, he got to keep playing. He ended up beating Roberto Bautista Agut and made it all the way to the semi-finals.
Rosenkranz is not the first player to be disqualified for taking a shower
Nicolas Moreno de Alboran learned this lesson the hard way back in 2022. He was playing Federico Delbonis at an ATP Challenger event in Seville when things got messy.
Literally messy.
The match was tied at one set each. De Alboran had been falling on the clay court multiple times and was covered in dirt. During the break between sets, he figured he’d wash off the clay.
The umpire had zero sympathy. De Alboran was disqualified just like Rosenkranz.
It’s one of those rules that probably makes sense when you think about it. Without these restrictions, players could theoretically take ice baths, get massages, or do all sorts of recovery activities during breaks. That would give some players unfair advantages.
But man, getting kicked out of a match for a quick rinse? That’s got to sting.
