Virus Outbreak Casts Shadow Over 2026 Madrid Open

Tennis tournaments routinely involve shared locker rooms, training mats, and equipment. The Guardian notes that “it is not uncommon for viruses to spread between players at tournaments, where they share many communal areas and training equipment,” underscoring the environment’s susceptibility to contagion.

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• First-round retirements: Madison Keys, Liudmila Samsonova and Marin Cilic withdrew from their matches citing illness.

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• Second round: Frenchman Corentin Moutet reported feeling sick after his loss.

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• Third round: World No. 1 Iga Swiatek recorded only her second career retirement, citing “zero energy and zero stability.”

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• Fourth round: Coco Gauff vomited during her match against Sorana Cirstea, received medical attention, and ultimately won 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

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• Additional reports: Former No. 1 Karolina Pliskova said she was “under the weather” during her three-set win over Elise Mertens.

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These incidents unfolded sequentially as the tournament progressed, creating a pattern of health-related disruptions.

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• Retirements: 4 players (Keys, Samsonova, Cilic, Swiatek).

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• Illness reports without retirement: 2 players (Moutet, Pliskova).

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• On-court medical incident: 1 player (Gauff’s vomiting).

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The concentration of cases within a single event highlights the scale of the outbreak.

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The withdrawals altered the draw, granting advancing opponents additional rest and potentially affecting ranking points. Players expressed concern that the virus could travel to the subsequent Rome tournament, noting the need for vigilance in the next week of the clay-court season.

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Coco Gauff emphasized her routine hygiene—hand sanitizer, cleaning mats—and acknowledged that “sometimes some things are just hard to avoid when you’re all in a big building.” She added that the illness appears to be “a virus going around between the city.” Iga Swiatek described her condition as “zero energy and zero stability.” Tournament officials have communicated to players that the outbreak is linked to a “general virus around the city,” rather than a single source.

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Despite rigorous personal precautions, Gauff and other competitors noted the difficulty of preventing infection in shared spaces, implicitly questioning the adequacy of existing health protocols at the venue.

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Early speculation linked the illnesses to shrimp tacos served in the player dining area. Gauff rejected this theory, stating, “I didn’t eat the shrimp, so I don’t think it was that,” and reaffirmed her belief that the virus is circulating citywide.

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• “I think I got a little cocky because I’ve been at tournaments where there were viruses and I never got it,” — Coco Gauff, Player

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• “I saw it going around, I was like, ‘I’m not going to get it.’ And then here I am. I think it’s hard because you don’t know who’s sick, who’s not. I do a good job at using hand sanitiser and washing my hands and wiping my [training] mats and stuff before I use them. But sometimes some things are just hard to avoid when you’re all in a big building like this and have to pass each other and use the same equipment. Hopefully everybody’s all good by Rome.” — Coco Gauff, Player

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• “There is something going on between players that the virus is somewhere on site, so I’m sure I’ll be fine in a couple of days, but I had zero energy and zero stability,” — Iga Swiatek, Player

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• “I didn’t eat the shrimp, so I don’t think it was that,” — Coco Gauff, Player

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• “I think it’s just a virus going around between the city, and then I think the players got it. I think I got it from another player that was sick and their locker’s close to mine, so I probably got it from that player. But, yeah, what can you do except just try to get through it? It’s the first time I’ve gotten sick since I’ve been on tour, so I’m not too upset. It’s, like, whatever.” — Coco Gauff, Player

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Players and officials anticipate heightened health monitoring at the upcoming Rome event, with the aim of limiting further spread and ensuring competitive integrity.

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