Coco Gauff reached the fourth round of the Madrid Open despite vomiting on court and battling a virus that has swept through the tournament. The American teenager struggled with nausea during her match against Sorana Cirstea, trailing 4-6, 3-4 before receiving medication from the trainer and recovering to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.
Gauff admitted she had been overconfident about avoiding the illness. 'I think I got a little cocky because I’ve been at tournaments where there were viruses and I never got it,' she said. 'I saw it going around, I was like, “I’m not going to get it.” And then here I am.' She noted the difficulty of staying healthy when sharing facilities with other players.
The virus has caused several high-profile retirements, including world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who withdrew during her third-round match against Ann Li. Madison Keys, Liudmila Samsonova, and Marin Cilic also ended their tournaments early due to illness. Frenchman Corentin Moutet and former No. 1 Karolina Pliskova reported feeling unwell during their matches.
Rumours initially blamed shrimp tacos from the player dining area, but organisers confirmed a general virus in Madrid was the cause. Gauff dismissed the taco theory, saying, 'I didn’t eat the shrimp, so I don’t think it was that.' She suspects she caught it from a nearby locker room neighbour. 'It’s the first time I’ve gotten sick since I’ve been on tour, so I’m not too upset,' she added.
