Tennis stars unable to shower and nowhere to sleep: Blackouts cause havoc at Madrid Open

The was as a widespread power outage hit Spain and Portugal on Monday, leaving players unable to shower and with nowhere to sleep. All remaining matches for the day due to the blackout, with only three games - one from the ATP draw and two from the WTA draw - played out of the scheduled 25.

The power cut occurred just after midday during the match between Grigor Dimitrov and Jacob Fearnley. The screens displaying the scoreboards went dark, and the public announcement system stopped functioning, confirming that the power had gone out across Caja Magica.

During another match, the chair umpire initially informed spectators of a technical issue and stated that play would continue without electricity, meaning the Hawk-Eye system could not be used. An hour later, it became clear that the power outage was not a minor problem but a major issue affecting the entire Iberian Peninsula.

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Four hours passed without power, with players stuck in lifts and being forced to eat by candlelight. In the meantime, thousands of fans sought shade from the sun while patiently waiting for play to resume.

Organisers eventually announced their decision to postpone play. Power was gradually restored around Spain and in the capital, with the tennis action resuming on Tuesday.

World No. 4 Coco Gauff went to the mixed zone after securing her spot in the round of 16, with her victory preceding the blackouts. Speaking to the weary reporters gathered, she said: "I'm happy I managed to do my part and not have to worry about the uncertainty affecting other colleagues right now.

"The truth is I haven't been able to shower; they haven't allowed us to, and I don't even know if I'll be able to return to my hotel because traffic lights aren't working throughout the city."

Movistar+ commentator and former tennis star Alex Corretja found himself among the pandemonium at Caja Magica. Reflecting on the ordeal to El Larguero, he recalled: "At the moment when the blackout happened, no one was aware of what was coming. For example, it took me five hours to get to the Caja Mágica.

“The people driving me dropped me off there because they also had to go pick up coaches, players... It was chaos. Many players are playing tomorrow and needed to return to their hotels, but they couldn't be taken back to central Madrid. Between going and coming back, it took me eight hours.”

Corretja continued, noting that players were "under stress", even while stars like Aryna Sabalenka were using the time to train on Centre Court and hang out in an athletes-only restaurant with her crew.

He added: "At the Caja Mágica they were provided with everything they needed and the organisation rose to the occasion, but they needed to return to their hotel and at best were told they would be dropped off several kilometres away. It's one thing for us Spaniards, but another for foreigners as they are somewhat more disoriented."