Eurosport expert Tim Henman has given his reaction to Stanislas Wawrinka's furious rant about the temperature of the water at the French Open during his first-round match against Corentin Moutet.
The Swiss star, who has had his career in recent years blighted by a series of injuries, was taking on Frenchman Moutet out on Court Suzanne-Lenglen when he burst into a row with the official.
Ad
The 37-year-old let his frustrations get the better of him over, of all things, the condition of the water at Roland-Garros. Specifically, the fact that it was too chilled for his liking.
Roland-Garros
'Too cold for him to digest' - Henman reacts to Wawrinka's outburst over water
13 HOURS AGO
In a bizarre and somewhat comical rant, Wawrinka yelled from the net: "It is not normal at a Grand Slam!
"Is that normal? Do you think it is normal? So you call someone. It has been three changeovers, I asked you for some water, that is not f***ing freezing! Because it is not good. You are at the French Open and you cannot get normal water! You think it is normal?"
Henman gave his reaction in the Eurosport Cube and provided an amusing anecdote about a time that he and tennis legend Pete Sampras had to request hot chocolates during a match at Queen's Club.
"It looked like it was a pretty chilly day yesterday in Paris and sometimes when it’s almost as if the water’s frozen… there was obviously something he was unhappy about!" Henman said.
"Maybe it was too cold for him to digest, I don’t know. I think it would have been better to just take the water out and leave it by his chair and let it warm up to the temperature outside. Yeah, it was a tough match."
Asked by Barbara Schett if he had any similar tantrums during his career, Henman replied: "There was one occasion at Queen’s [where] I was playing doubles with Sampras and it was so cold we asked we could have some hot chocolates at the change of ends.
"They came on with two hot chocolates and they tasted really good, and they were also very good for warming your hands, but we still lost!”
At the time, Eurosport commentator Simon Reed did not have much sympathy with the water issues encountered by the 2015 champion at Roland-Garros.
'Too cold for him to digest' - Henman reacts to Wawrinka's outburst over water
- 'F***ing freezing!' - Wawrinka furious about 'not normal' water at French Open
- 'Absolutely ludicrous decision' - Unpopular rule causes big fan disruption during match
- 'Only one favourite' - Djokovic's coach Ivanisevic backs Nadal to win French Open
"No, it is not his problem - that is the thing, Stan!
"Sorry about the language, but maybe he is looking for a fight."
Wawrinka has endured a torrid few years on the ATP Tour as he has sought to shrug off persistent setbacks and injuries, but is making a popular return to the big stage on the red dirt in Paris.
Sadly for the veteran star, Moutet clinched a four-set triumph to delight the home fans, taking the victory 2-6 6-3 7-6 6-3.
The Swiss will hope that his 2022 French Open campaign is not purely remembered for his distaste for the temperature of the mineral water.
Moutet battles past former champion Wawrinka in first round at French Open
- - -
Stream the 2022 French Open live and on-demand on discovery+
Roland-Garros
Moutet battles past former champion Wawrinka in first round at French Open
23/05/2022 AT 16:55
Roland-Garros
'F***ing freezing!' - Wawrinka furious about 'not normal' water at French Open
23/05/2022 AT 16:23