Coco Gauff is among the many participants in the Madrid Open to catch a nasty stomach bug, but somehow found a way to power through her Round of 32 match in the Spanish capital and earn a three-set victory.
A handful of players, including World No. 4 Iga Swiatek, chose to pull out of the tournament while battling serious fatigue and illness related to what appears to be a fast-spreading stomach virus. Swiatek retired during the third set of her match against Ann Li in the round of 32 despite winning the second set in the match 6-2.
AMERICAN TENNIS STAR COCO GAUFF GIVES HER THOUGHTS ON STATE OF US YEAR INTO TRUMP’S SECOND TERM
Things got so grim for Gauff during the second set of her match against Sorana Cirstea that at one point, she had to walk over to a trash bin behind her bench and vomit. After dropping the first set of the match 4-6, Gauff went on to win the next two 7-5, 6-1 to move on to the Round of 16.
While talking about how bad she was feeling following her victory, Gauff explained she threw up multiple times during the match.
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COCO GAUFF SMASHES RACKET FOLLOWING AUSTRALIAN OPEN DEFEAT
“I don’t know how I got it done,” Gauff told Sky Sports.
“Once I threw up and I was able to throw up again after the first set and then throw up again, I felt a little better,” she added with a laugh. “I think I got the Madrid stomach virus that’s going around.”
With so many players dealing with the stomach virus, rumors understandably began to spread that it was a common food in player dining that potentially caused food poisoning. However, a spokesperson for the tournament told The Athletic that food was not the issue and that the illness was a “gastroenteritis virus.”
Gauff was also participating in the doubles section of the Madrid Open alongside Robin Montgomery, but pulled out due to the ongoing battle against the illness.
The American will take on Linda Noskova on Monday for a spot in the quarterfinals.
