Coco Gauff’s day at work was anything but plain sailing. She played through her tears during her Madrid Open third-round match against Sorana Cîrstea on Sunday, April 26.
Gauff also called for a medical timeout at 4-4 in the second set. She was visibly in distress as she got her vitals checked. The American threw up twice before emerging victorious in the rollercoaster contest.
Coco Gauff Falls Sick at the Madrid Open
Gauff, the third seed, began her campaign with a 6-3, 6-0 win against Leolia Jeanjean in the second round. She then faced Cîrstea for a place in the top 16. After losing the opening set 6-4, the 22-year-old staged a comeback to seal the win 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in two hours and 19 minutes.
Although she won, Gauff appeared out of sorts and grappled with low energy throughout the match. After winning, she bent down, held on to her racket for support, and heaved a sigh of relief.
“I think I got what everybody else is having here in Madrid, unfortunately,” she said during her on-court interview. “I was trying not to throw up on the court. That was the main thing. It was a weird feeling today. I don’t know how I go through it.”
“They gave me some pills, so that definitely helped, but I was really tired. But I can play well being tired. It’s just, the first part was literally just trying to keep whatever I ate down.”
Coco Gauff on battling illness to beat Cirstea in Madrid
“I know you’re not feeling 100% but champions find a way and that’s exactly what you did today. Tell us how you were able to do that.”
Coco: “I don’t know. Honestly, I was just trying to finish the match and one point… pic.twitter.com/9iFX3v98IG
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 26, 2026
The player promptly pulled out of her doubles encounter with Robin Montgomery, handing Quinn Gleason and Ulrikke Eikeri a walkover. She faces Linda Nosková next. Incidentally, Nosková reached the fourth round after a walkover from Liudmila Samsonova, who also fell ill in Madrid.
Coco Gauff is feeling unwell. She had to vormit at a point and also a blood pressure was check by the doctor. pic.twitter.com/yNUFRbi7jg
— Arimiyaw Iddrisu (@ArimiyawAMI) April 26, 2026
Besides the duo, Iga Świątek was also compromised by illness during her match against Ann Li on Saturday. The 2024 Madrid Open champion ultimately retired in tears in the third set after getting her vitals checked.
MORE: Iga Świątek in Tears As She Walks Off the Court After Sad Mid-Match Madrid Retirement
Coco Gauff, meanwhile, would hope to recover in time for her next match on Tuesday. The American is defending 650 points at the tournament as last year’s runner-up, where she lost the title to Aryna Sabalenka. The American has a busy clay swing ahead, with 2650 points on the line at the Italian Open, where she was the runner-up, and the French Open, where she won her second Grand Slam.
