Gauff explains the reason for her vomiting during her match at the Mutua Madrid Open

Pedro de Pablos | 26 Apr 2026 | 14.22

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Coco Gauff has achieved a very important victory against Sorana Cirstea in the Mutua Madrid Open 2026 to reach the round of 16. The American tennis player had to battle against the Romanian player and her physical discomfort to come back in the match. In the post-match press conference, she analyzed the high number of withdrawals happening in the tournament due to this reason.

The number three in the WTA ranking vomited during her match against Cirstea. Once she secured her spot in the next round, she appeared exhausted from the effort she made to stay alive in the match. She admitted that the thought of withdrawing crossed her mind momentarily and dismissed the theory of food poisoning, attributing her discomfort to a virus circulating in the tournament and the city of Madrid.

Gauff rules out food poisoning and points to a virus at the Mutua Madrid Open

Vomiting during the match

I don't know how I got through that. I felt fine all morning. It's true that I felt a bit off last night, but I felt good when I woke up. At first, I felt like I was going to faint, then I took some medication, and that definitely helped. I was nervous and tired, I almost threw up in the middle of a point. Obviously, there's a virus going around. I'm not someone who usually has issues with food or stomach. I think some players have a virus, and apparently, there's a virus circulating in the city, so that's probably what happened to me.

More symptoms

I was a bit nervous last night. I took melatonin and went to sleep. I'm very bad at figuring out if I'm okay or not. I usually don't tell people anything, so I probably should talk to my physiotherapist about these things. I woke up this morning feeling normal, so maybe that was the first sign that I was okay.

Feeling after the match

Right now, all I need is hydration and rest. They gave me something, so I hope I can be ready for tomorrow. I feel a bit better now with the medication they gave me. They gave me something for the rest of the day and tomorrow, so I'm going to rely on that.

Cause of the virus

They were saying it was a stomach virus from food poisoning. I didn't eat anything strange, so I don't think it was that. I think it's just a virus circulating among the city and the players have it. I think I caught it from another player who was sick, and their room was near mine. So, I probably got it from that player, but what can I do, except try to get through it as best as I can. I don't know, it's the first time I've been sick since I've been on tour, so I'm not too upset about it.

Possible withdrawal against Cirstea

Yes, there were a couple of moments when I thought about withdrawing. After the first set, I will keep playing and see what happens. When I vomited, I also thought about it, it was embarrassing, but I'm not someone who likes to withdraw from matches. I don't like doing that unless I really feel like I have no other option. The plan was always to try to finish and fight to play again in the final of this tournament.

How to avoid these viruses

Honestly, it's the first time it's happened to me. I've been in tournaments where there was a virus, and it had never happened to me. I saw more and more players getting it, and I thought it wouldn't be my case, but here I am. It's difficult because you don't know who's sick and who's not.
I do a good job using hand sanitizer and washing my equipment before using it, but sometimes there are things that are hard to avoid when you're in such a large venue and go to common areas. I hope everyone is okay.

Training at the Bernabéu

It would have been great to do it, but today I probably can't go. I thought it would be a good experience. If they do it again next year, I'll try to go at 100%.

Cirstea's last match in Madrid

She has had a great career. Today she played very well. I always forget that it was her last match, because she's at such a high level... I hope she continues to enjoy her last season on the circuit until her final match, because she deserves it.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Gauff explica el motivo de su vómito durante su partido en el Mutua Madrid Open