Embarrassing! German Tennis Player Mats Rosenkranz Disqualified For Taking Mid-Match Shower; Check Details

German tennis player Mats Rosenkranz was disqualified from the Crete Challenger IV after taking a shower during a mid-match toilet break. Rosenkranz, ranked 358 in the world, had just won the first set 7-5 against Italy’s Pietro Orlando Fellin when the incident occurred on on August 13.

Why mid match shower are not allowed during tennis match?

The 26-year-old reportedly took a shower during the break between sets, an action that is strictly prohibited under tennis's anti-doping protocols. These rules are in place to prevent potential manipulation of test samples or other breaches of doping controls during live matches.

Upon his return to the court, Rosenkranz was informed by tournament officials of his immediate disqualification. Despite his attempts to justify the situation and appeal the ruling, the decision stood firm. Fellin was awarded the win by walkover and progressed to the next round, where he will face Frenchman Laurent Lokoli.

Before the controversial match, Rosenkranz had advanced by defeating Pavlos Tsitsipas, the brother of top Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas, in a three-set battle. However, his journey in the tournament came to an abrupt and unexpected end due to the rare but serious violation.

Has such incident happended in the past?

This is not the first time a player has faced consequences for similar behavior. In 2022, American Nicolas Moreno De Alboran was also disqualified during a match against Federico Delbonis for taking a mid-match shower.

Reacting to the controversy, the American later released a statement on Instagram explaining his side of the story. “During the second set, I fell over 3/4 times. On one of them sand got inside my underwear," he wrote.

“I had to play like that for 30 minutes and it was giving me a rash that started bleeding after a while. When I won the second set, I went to the toilet to change (you get five minutes).