A sudden illness has struck several of the world’s elite tennis players at the Madrid Open, resulting in some withdrawals from the tournament and American sensation Coco Gauff being forced to vomit during a match.
Former American tennis star and now revered commentator Jim Courier speculated that the trouble originated from contaminated prawn tacos served at the venue, as a number of athletes reported symptoms of food poisoning.
Others have suggested it could be a viral infection that’s taking its toll.
Despite her illness, Gauff progressed to the fourth round of the Madrid Open, managing to defeat Sorana Cirstea after being sick in a bin courtside during their match.
Having been a finalist in Madrid the previous year, Gauff demonstrated her fighting spirit by overcoming Cirstea with a scoreline of 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, after falling ill mid-second set, prompting medical staff to check her blood pressure.
“When I actually threw up on the court, that was a bit embarrassing,” Gauff admitted.
Coco Gauff vomits courtside after falling ill in Madrid. Twitter
“After that first and second game, I felt completely drained,” she recounted.
This past Saturday, fourth-seeded Iga Swiatek also withdrew due to an unexplained illness while in the midst of her round-of-32 match against American Ann Li.
Madison Keys pulled out prior to the tournament’s start, mentioning illness as her reason, while other players like Liudmila Samsonova, Marin Čilić, and Corentin Moutet have likewise experienced sickness.
“The last couple of days have been pretty rough. I believe I’ve caught some virus,” Keys stated.
“There seems to be something affecting the players; a virus is circulating around the site.”
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Cilic suspected food poisoning but did not specify where he believed it originated.
“Regrettably, I suffered food poisoning yesterday,” he shared on Instagram.
“After attempting to recover all night, my body is sadly depleted and not at the optimal level to compete. I apologise to all the fans who were looking forward to watching the match.”
Moutet lost in straight sets to local player Daniel Merida Aguila and later revealed he had been “battling a virus” for several days.
Coco Gauff of the US concerning her match against Sorana Cirstea during the Madrid Open. AP
Gauff expressed her determination to complete her match, stating, “I’m someone who prefers not to withdraw. I won’t do that unless I genuinely feel there are no other options available.”
“So the goal was always to try and finish, even if it meant playing just to get through.”
She made a comeback from being a break down three times in the match before clinching the second set 7-5.
The third-ranked Gauff shared that she’s unsure how she “managed to push through”, revealing she nearly vomited mid-point.
“I felt fine this morning. I had a slight unease last night, but I was alright. I woke up feeling okay. Then in the middle of the first set, I started feeling nauseous. Then it happened,” she explained.
“They gave me some pills, which definitely helped. After that, I just felt ill and fatigued. I really didn’t want to vomit during play, which nearly happened at one point.”
Next up for Gauff is a clash against No. 13 seed Linda Noskova.
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