In Madrid, Mirra Andreeva`s match was interrupted by a power outage on Monday afternoon while she was serving for the win.
Andreeva later recounted, “It was 15-40 on my serve… I told myself, `Oh, Mirra, please, please, do everything you can to win this game and end the match.` I knew if it went to 5-5, we`d probably have to wait, and I`d still be here.”
Coco Gauff had already secured her 6-4, 6-2 victory against Belinda Bencic and was giving an on-court interview when the microphone suddenly stopped working. Security promptly escorted her to the players` lounge.
Gauff described the scene: “It was completely dark, and I understood that the power was gone. I initially thought it only affected us, but then I realized it was the entire country – that`s just wild.”
It turned out the outage wasn`t confined to Spain but affected a large part of Europe, impacting millions of people. While the initial cause was unclear, early reports suggested problems with the European power grid.
Consequently, Andreeva, who ultimately secured a 6-1, 6-4 win against Yuliia Starodubtseva (with the chair umpire calling the lines due to the outage), and Gauff were the only players to complete their matches and reach the Mutua Madrid Open quarterfinals as scheduled. They are set to face each other later in the tournament.
Andreeva commented on their upcoming match: “The last time we played on clay was at Roland Garros in 2023… The first set was close, but the rest of the match wasn`t great for me. She didn`t give me any opportunities. But that was two years ago, so I`m really looking forward to seeing how differently I play now, not necessarily for revenge. I expect it to be an exciting match.”
Andreeva has reached the quarterfinals at this tournament for the second consecutive year. She stated her goal for this year: “I`m going to try to go further this year. I`ll do everything I can to win.”
While things were chaotic outside the venue, with internet, trains, and airports all disrupted, the shared experience of the outage fostered a sense of community among the players inside.
Andreeva noted, “Everyone was using phone flashlights, but it was also somewhat fun because everyone was talking to each other; the atmosphere felt a bit friendlier.”
Gauff agreed, saying, “I was thinking exactly the same thing. Usually, everyone is focused on preparing for their matches, and we respect that. But during the outage, I was talking with Frances [Tiafoe], Mirra, Diana [Shnaider], and Maddy [Keys]. This is a light-hearted situation because nobody knew when play would resume.”
Andreeva, who had a book and Uno cards to occupy herself, commented, “This is my first blackout… It`s actually quite exciting because I`ve never gone through anything like this before. I`m really glad they scheduled me first, so I managed to finish everything promptly.” She added, “But I definitely don`t want to stay here all night and sleep in the gym. We`ll just have to see what they tell us and figure things out.”
Not everyone was as fortunate. Grigor Dimitrov, for instance, had his match suspended while he was serving for the win against qualifier Jacob Fearnley in Manolo Santana Stadium.
Gauff philosophized, “That`s just how tennis and life are sometimes. I feel like, at this point, if I had still been on court, this situation would be something you could only laugh about. It`s probably a unique event that won`t happen again, and we`ll always remember the day the power failed at the Madrid Open.”
Gauff mentioned that she had requested her match be scheduled second for Sunday`s play.
“But I`m glad that request wasn`t granted,” she added with a laugh, giving credit to “the WTA supervisors for making the right decision for me.”
She humorously noted that the biggest inconvenience at that moment was being unable to take a post-match shower.
Gauff elaborated: “There was no running water, so I had to use baby wipes and then put on some perfume – that was it for the day. I wasn`t even sure we could get back to the hotel because the traffic lights weren`t working.” She reflected on the experience: “It`s just wild how much we rely on electricity; it`s truly remarkable and gives you perspective. It also made me think about people before electricity and how incredible that was.”
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth