"Literally no one asked you";"Such a hater": Fans irked by Martina Navratilova's dig at Iga Swiatek, Danielle Collins over bathroom breaks at Olympics

Tennis fans were recently perturbed by Martina Navratilova's criticism of Iga Swiatek and Danielle Collins regarding their bathroom breaks at the 2024 Paris Olympics. During the quarterfinal match between Swiatek and Collins, the Pole took an extended bathroom break while the American took a prolonged medical timeout.

Top seed Swiatek and eighth seed Collins' last-eight match ended with Collins retiring in the middle of the deciding set with the score reading 6-1, 2-6, 4-1 ret. Irrespective of the match's outcome, it was filled with its share of drama.

In the second set, Danielle Collins' powerful backhand passing shot struck Iga Swiatek in the abdomen, causing her to crouch down on the ground in pain. Furthermore, Swiatek took a 10-minute bathroom break between the second and third sets, while Collins took an extended medical timeout during the match.

These extended breaks did not sit well with former World No.1 Martina Navratilova, who took to social media to question how many bathroom breaks she had taken during her career spanning over 1700 matches.

"Guess how many times I went to the bathroom in my whole career in some 1700 matches?" Navratilova posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Tennis fans were displeased with Navratilova's comments about Iga Swiatek and Danielle Collins' breaks. They took to social media to express their discontent and shared their opinion on the same.

One fan pointed out that nobody had asked Martina Navratilova for her opinion on bathroom breaks.

"Literally no one asked you," a fan posted.

Another fan criticized the former World No.1's remarks as that of a "hater."

"I keep it cute on here but this woman is suuuuch a hater," a fan wrote.

Some fans questioned why people were fixated on players taking longer bathroom breaks, while others suggested implementing time violations for extended breaks.

"WHY the f*ck is this sport sooo obsessed with peopl peeing???!?! why does everyone act like it's an egregious crime???!!!# It's just not deep whatsoever," a fan posted.

"Martina, if you have something to say about a player, say it directly instead of implying they’re cheating. They’re allowed a bathroom break in a 3 set match, correct? If they’re extended, player should get a time violation. Many things have changed since you played tennis," a fan wrote.

A few fans accused Martina Navratilova of using social media to be a bully, make transphobic remarks, and be rude to others.

"You’d probably go in the bathroom right now to check for any transgender people," a fan posted.

"You got a bigass bladder, congratulations then? Tf you want us to say here," a fan wrote.

"She is literally allergic to posting normal things on twitter it’s always extreme transphobic bullying and the occasional ‘back in my day we used to suffer!!’ jab at tennis players," a fan posted.

Iga Swiatek on her bathroom break at Paris Olympics: "Didn't know how much time passed, didn't do anything against the rules"

Iga Swiatek [Image Source: Getty Images]

Iga Swiatek had talked about her taking a 10-minute-long bathroom break during her quarterfinal match against Danielle Collins at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The World No.1 explained that players are typically allowed extended breaks for changing clothes and other necessities, which is why she believed her break was within the rules.

"I don't know if the break lasting so long could have given my rival a cause, I won't speculate here. But in general, usually at tournaments, when we go out and have time to change clothes, we are entitled to 5 minutes," Iga Swiatek told Interia Sport after the match.

Swiatek admitted that she lost track of time during the break but maintained that she did not violate any regulations.

"I honestly didn't know how much time had passed, but I didn't do anything against the rules, so I don't really know what the whole situation was about," she added.

Following her quarterfinal match against Danielle Collins, Iga Swiatek lost the semifinal match to Zheng Qinwen. She will next face Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, a player she is yet to compete against, in the bronze medal match.