Coco Gauff Advances in Madrid Open Amid Health Struggles
In a display of resilience and determination, Coco Gauff progressed to the fourth round of the Madrid Open, overcoming both her opponent Sorana Cirstea and her own unexpected illness on the court.
The American tennis star, who was last year’s finalist in Madrid, managed a comeback victory of 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 on Sunday. Despite the challenging circumstances, Gauff’s resolve saw her through, even as she experienced a bout of vomiting during the second set.
Gauff described the incident as “a little bit embarrassing” and noted that it took a significant toll on her. “Then after that first game and the second, I was like that took everything out of me,” she said.
This health struggle comes after fourth-ranked Iga Swiatek had to withdraw from the tournament due to an unspecified illness during her match against Ann Li.
Despite feeling unwell, Gauff was adamant about completing her match. “I’m someone who doesn’t like to pull out. I don’t like to do that unless I really feel like I have no other options,” Gauff explained. “So the plan was to always just try to finish, even if it ended up with me just playing just to get through it.”
Gauff managed to recover from a break down three times to clinch the second set 7-5. Reflecting on the experience, she admitted not knowing how she “got through that” and recalled nearly vomiting in the middle of a point.
“I felt fine all this morning. I felt a little weird last night, but I was OK. Woke up this morning, felt fine. And mid-first set, I was feeling like I was going to throw up. And then I did,” Gauff recounted. “They gave me some pills and that definitely helped. After that, once I felt the feeling of throwing up, then I just felt nauseous and tired. I just didn’t want to throw up in the middle of the point, which I almost did at one point.”
Gauff’s next challenge will be against No. 13 seed Linda Noskova.
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