Illness outbreak forces 31 withdrawals or retirements at Madrid Open
- A stomach illness at the 2026 Mutua Madrid Open has forced mid-match retirements and pre-match withdrawals, notably Iga Świątek retiring and Coco Gauff falling ill on court. - Organisers’ running count shows the total has reached 31 withdrawals or retirements across the ATP and WTA draws, with late replacements already slotted into the field. - The outbreak has triggered on‑court medical checks and schedule reshuffles days before the clay‑court lead‑up to Roland Garros. (tennis365.com)
A stomach illness at the Mutua Madrid Open has forced 31 withdrawals or retirements across the men’s and women’s draws. (tennis365.com) Iga Świątek, the 2024 Madrid champion and world No. 4, retired mid-match against Ann Li on April 25 after a medical check, trailing 7-6(4), 2-6, 0-3. (tennismajors.com (tennis365.com)) Coco Gauff vomited on-court during her third-round 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 win over Sorana Cîrstea on April 26 and required a medical timeout while a tournament doctor checked her vitals. (apnews.com (tennis.com)) Tournament organisers and reports list Marin Čilić withdrawing after citing food poisoning, while Madison Keys officially pulled out with illness shortly before her match, the WTA confirmed. (tennis365.com (wtatennis.com)) Tennis365’s running tally shows 17 women and 13 men have either withdrawn before their matches or retired during play, and slots have been filled by alternates such as Anna Blinkova and Anastasia Potapova. (tennis365.com) The outbreak has led to visible on‑court medical checks and disrupted the Madrid order of play, a significant shake-up with the two‑week event serving as a key tune-up ahead of the clay season and Roland Garros. (mutuamadridopen.com (atptour.com)) Players have described acute symptoms: Świątek said she had “zero energy” and suspected a virus, while Gauff said she thought she “got what everybody else is having” and tried to finish the match. (tennis365.com (tennis.com)) The Mutua Madrid Open runs through May 3 and organisers say matches will continue under medical supervision as the draw is reshuffled and alternates step in. (mutuamadridopen.com (tennis365.com))
