How stomach virus spread at Madrid Open: Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Marin Cilic hit by illness

A highly contagious "gastroenteritis virus” has hit the player field at the 2026 Madrid Open.

This left top tennis stars vomiting on court, withdrawing in tears, and describing a feeling of “zero energy.”

The most visible victim was Coco Gauff, who vomited mid-match in Sunday's match. However, the 22-year-old still managed to defeat Sorana Cirstea.

Other affectees include Iga Swiatek, who withdrew on Saturday, April 25, during her third-round march against Ann Li, citing inability to continue.

Main Cilic, a Croatian tennis player, is another victim of this contagious disease.

How the virus spread

As per the players, the outbreak is spreading through close quarters. Gauff added that she probably caught this from another player whose locker was positioned near hers in the shared facility.

After her match, she said, “It’s going around the locker room.”

“I think I got what everybody else is having here in Madrid, unfortunately,” she added.

Although at first it seemed that the cause was food poisoning in the players’ dining area, according to a tournament spokesman, it is actually a contagious virus and not related to any food problem. It is believed that viruses that cause gastroenteritis may remain on objects for long periods of time and thus easily spread among people in crowded places, such as a tennis tournament.