In Madrid, Mirra Andreeva was serving for her match on Monday afternoon when a power outage occurred. Andreeva described the moment: “It was 15-40 on my serve. I thought, `Oh, Mirra, please, please, do everything you can to win this game and end the match.` I knew that if it went to 5-5, we`d likely face a delay, and I`d still be here.”
Coco Gauff had already completed her 6-4, 6-2 victory over Belinda Bencic and was giving her post-match interview when her microphone stopped working. Security promptly escorted her to the players` lounge.
“It was completely dark,” Gauff recalled, “and I quickly understood the power was off. Initially, I thought it was just our area, but then I found out it affected the entire country – that`s just unbelievable.”
The outage wasn`t limited to Spain but affected large parts of Europe, impacting millions. While the cause was initially unclear, early reports suggested problems with the European power grid.
Consequently, Andreeva, who ultimately defeated Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-1, 6-4 (with the chair umpire calling lines due to the outage), and Gauff were the only players who finished their matches and advanced to the Mutua Madrid Open quarterfinals as planned. They are scheduled to face each other later this week.
Andreeva commented on her upcoming match against Gauff: “The last time we played on clay was at Roland Garros in 2023. The first set was close, but after that, the match didn`t go well for me. She didn`t let me get into it. But that was two years ago. I`m really looking forward to playing her again, not for revenge, but to see how my game has changed. I expect it to be an interesting match.”
This marks Andreeva`s second consecutive year reaching the quarterfinals in Madrid.
She added, “This year, I`m aiming to go further. I will do my absolute best to win.”
While the power failure caused widespread disruption outside the tournament grounds, affecting internet, trains, and airports, inside, the players found a sense of camaraderie brought about by their shared experience.
Andreeva noted, “Everyone was using their phone flashlights, but it was also quite amusing because everyone was talking to each other, creating a friendlier atmosphere.”
Gauff echoed this sentiment: “I was thinking exactly the same thing. Usually, before matches, everyone is focused and in their own zone, which we all understand. But I was talking to Frances [Tiafoe], talking to Mirra, Diana [Shnaider], Maddy [Keys]… This is a situation where it`s more lighthearted, as nobody knows when they`ll be able to play.”
Andreeva, finding the situation somewhat novel, said, “This is my first power blackout.” She added she was glad to have a book and Uno cards. “It`s actually a bit exciting because I`ve never experienced anything like this before. I`m really happy they scheduled me first, so I managed to finish my match on time.”
“However,” she continued, “I certainly don`t want to spend the night here and sleep in the gym. We`ll just have to see what the organizers tell us and go from there.”
Not every player was as fortunate. Grigor Dimitrov, for instance, was serving for his match against qualifier Jacob Fearnley in Manolo Santana Stadium when play was halted by the outage.
“That`s just how tennis and life are,” Gauff commented. “At this point, it`s the kind of situation you can only laugh at, especially if I had still been on court. It`s probably a unique event that won`t happen again, and we`ll always remember the day the power went out at the Madrid Open.”
Gauff revealed that on Sunday, she had asked the tournament schedulers to schedule her match second on the order of play.
Laughing, she added, “But I`m actually glad that request wasn`t granted. A big thanks to the WTA supervisors for making the right scheduling choice for me in the end!”
According to Gauff, the most immediate inconvenience she faced was not being able to take a post-match shower.
“There was no running water,” Gauff explained, “so I just had to use baby wipes and then spray some perfume to feel somewhat fresh. I don`t even think we`ll be able to get back to the hotel easily because the traffic lights are out.”
“It`s wild how dependent we are on electricity,” she concluded. “It really puts things into perspective and makes you think about how people managed before electricity – that`s truly impressive.”
Rupert Caldwell