Matches at Madrid Open halted due to extensive power failure, leaving tennis players in the dark.
In the whirlwind of the 2025 Madrid Open, American tennis sensation Coco Gauff found herself in an unusual situation when a major power outage hit Spain and Portugal. Just moments after triumphing over Belinda Bencic, she realized that the locker room showers were non-functional. Gauff resorted to using baby wipes and a spritz of perfume instead, describing it as an unconventional shower experience.
The power outage, which occurred at 12:34 p.m., also disrupted the electronic line-calling systems and left a spider cam dangling ominously over the court inside Manolo Santana Stadium. Tournament organizers were left with no choice but to suspend all sporting activities to ensure everyone's safety. The spectators were recommended to leave the sports complex.
Grigor Dimitrov was leading Jacob Fearnley 6-4, 5-4 in the main stadium when play was called off. Matteo Arnaldi was leading Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 3-2 when the lights went out. That match was completed later, seemingly with manual line-calling, and Arnaldi secured a 6-3, 6-4 victory.
The doubles match was also completed, and some players continued practicing despite the outage. A few people remained in the stands, watching the unusual scene unfold. The blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill, affecting subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights, and ATM machines.
Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica estimated that restoring power to large parts of the country could take up to 10 hours. The company declined to comment on the causes of the blackout. Coco Gauff shared a photo of candles being handed out, commenting that they might not be able to return to their hotel due to the traffic light outages.
The incident served as a stark reminder of our overreliance on electricity. As second-ranked Iga Swiatek sat in the dimly lit players' lounge, she reflected on the situation with her team. The eagerly awaited match between Swiatek and Diana Shnaider was moved to the following day.
References:[1] Madrid Open - Official website (https://www.madrid-open.com/)[2] ATP Tour (https://www.atptour.com/)[3] WTA Tour (https://www.wtatennis.com/)
- Beyond the tennis court, the power outage disrupted services across Spain and Portugal, including subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights, and ATMs.
- Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica projected that restoring power to large parts of the country could take up to 10 hours.
- In the dimly lit players' lounge, second-ranked Iga Swiatek and her team reflected on the situation, as their highly anticipated match against Diana Shnaider was rescheduled for the following day.
- As Coco Gauff faced an unconventional shower experience due to the non-functional locker room showers, she shared a photo of candles being handed out, expressing concerns about potential traffic light outages preventing her return to her hotel.
