Madison Keys Finally Reveals the Reason Behind Her Late Withdrawal from the Madrid Open

Marin Cilic, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff were also victims of food poisoning at the Madrid Open.

Madison Keys Finally Reveals the Reason Behind Her Late Withdrawal from the Madrid Open

Madison Keys (Image via X/Univers Tennis)

In Short
  • Madison Keys withdrew from the Madrid Open due to food poisoning.
  • Several players, including Marin Cilic and Iga Swiatek, also faced withdrawals from the tournament due to similar health issues.
  • Food poisoning incidents have raised concerns among players at the Madrid Open, a rare occurrence in tennis events.

Madison Keys has confirmed that food poisoning was the reason behind her late Madrid Open withdrawal. The American was supposed to face Chinese star Zhang Shuai in the second round of the WTA 1000, but she surprisingly pulled out of the tournament just hours before the match kicked off at the Caja Magica.

Keys arrived in Madrid at the back of a brilliant run at the Charleston Open. She had failed to impress during the Sunshine Double, winning just two matches in Indian Wells and Miami. But on clay, the World No.17 looked impressive, reaching the semi-finals before losing to Yuliia Starodubtseva in Charleston.

However, a day before her opening match at the Madrid Open, the American star began feeling unwell after eating parts of her food. She withdrew from the tournament, and Anastasia Potapova took her place as lucky loser. Food poisoning has become a major topic at the Madrid Open after several other stars’ withdrawal.

Marin Cilic was supposed to face Joao Fonseca in the second round, but he withdrew after falling ill due to food poisoning. Iga Swiatek was in tears after she retired from her third-round match against Ann Li due to the same issue. Coco Gauff was unwell throughout the tournament, and that played a part in her exit in the fourth round.

Rumors have indicated that several players had gotten food poisoning during the tournament, with a few overcoming it in time before their matches. In the latest episode of The Player’s Box podcast, Let’s confirmed that she felt unwell as she ate part of her food and told her husband Bjorn Fratangelo about it before running to her hotel room:

The night before my match, I went to dinner and didn’t feel very well. I thought I might just be hungry. Then, as soon as the dishes were served and I laid eyes on them, I looked at Bjorn (Fratangelo, her husband) and said, ‘I have to go,’ and I rushed back to the hotel. It’s been a bit tough since, but I’m slowly recovering. I’m hanging in there.

Food poisoning is not uncommon at tennis tournaments, but it has hardly been heard of at the Madrid Open. Players have to deal with the condition of the court, the pressure of playing, and their opponents; food poisoning is never supposed to be another issue in events. Several stars who were supposed to defend plenty of ranking points were forced to leave in disappointment.

Former World No.13 reacts to Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal from the French Open

Since Carlos Alcaraz announced that he won’t be participating in the upcoming Italian Open and Roland Garros, it has been one of the major discussions in tennis. The Spaniard suffered a wrist injury during his opening match at the Barcelona Open against Otto Virtanen. He pulled out of the event and subsequently withdrew from the Madrid Open.

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

The World No.1 is yet to reveal the full extent of his injury, but former World No.2 Alex Corretja has already hinted that he might miss Wimbledon. Already, for missing the Roland Garros and Italian Open, he’s going to lose 3,000 ranking points.

Should he miss Wimbledon also, the tally will go beyond 4,000 points. During the aforementioned conversation, former World No.13 Jennifer Brady revealed that it must have been a tough decision for Alcaraz:

Obviously it was a really tough decision but hopefully it’s the right decision and he rests and recovers as soon as possible. We will finally have two new faces in the finals of Madrid, Rome and the French Open! Although I do love Carlos. He is one of my favourite players.

Alcaraz is the defending champion of the Queen’s Club Championships, which comes a week before the Wimbledon Championships. There’s no report on which tournament he’s expected to return to the tour in. However, there is hope he will be able to compete at the All England Club in July.

Also Read: Jannik Sinner Drops a Three-Word Tribute to Rafael Jodar After their Madrid Open Clash