A tennis star was handed a harsh punishment for spending too long on the toilet during an Challenger match in Italy. A rare toilet break was allowed mid-set but an umpire was unhappy with the time taken for play to resume.
World No. 93 Luca Nardi had been allowed to go to the toilet during his clash with Mariano Navone. ATP rules generally do not allow such situations unless a player is in visible distress. The match was tied in the third set when nature called for Nardi. The umpire granted him a toilet break but he was given an allotted time in which to return.
The chair umpire was subsequently left unimpressed with the 25-year-old's timekeeping. He kept an eye on the clock as the minutes ticked along.
Nardi eventually returned from his toilet break, only to be given a harsh punishment. The umpire gave him three consecutive point penalties for taking so long.
Having been on serve at a tied situation in the match, the punishment was considered harsh by some fans. The incident went viral on social media.
The punishment meant Nardi started his serve 0-40 behind. However, he managed to overcome the penalty and won the match 6-1 5-7 7-6.
Navone had initially been able to capitalise on Nardi's misdemeanour, going 6-5 ahead. However, Nardi won the next two games to clinch an important win. He then lost in straight sets against another Argentine, Ugo Carabelli, in the next round of the ATP Challenger Torino.
In March 2024, Nardi secured a famous victory over Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells. He reflected a year later: "As soon as I was there, I started feeling some very good emotions. It's a very, very nice feeling to come back here," Nardi told ATPTour.com. "Usually I'm not Luca Nardi. I am the guy that beat Novak Djokovic. Maybe they don't know the name, but I am the guy that beat Djokovic.
"The match point I thought that I could make a double fault, which I usually do! And I played an ace. [It was] very crazy. Going to the net with him and knowing that I won and he lost, it was something that I could never imagine," Nardi said. "So it was a very nice moment."
