Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam winner, was forced to withdraw from her Madrid Open match on Saturday after falling ill during competition against American player Ann Li.
Swiatek, who held the fourth seed position at the WTA 1000 clay court event, called for medical help before ultimately leaving the court in tears. At the time of her withdrawal, she was behind in the round-of-32 match with scores of 6-7(4) 6-2 0-3.
Speaking about her condition, Swiatek explained her recent struggles with what appears to be a viral infection. “The past two days were pretty terrible, I think I have some virus,” the defending Madrid champion said.
“It’s been some hours fine, some hours pretty bad. I had zero energy, zero stability, and I just felt really bad physically,” she continued.
Despite feeling unwell, the 24-year-old athlete attempted to push through the match, drawing on past experiences when she successfully competed while sick. “I knew that (it was) going to be hard but I still wanted to try because I already have been sick twice in my career and I could still win most of my matches. I guess it depends on how bad it is, and I guess this time it was worse than before,” Swiatek said.
The unexpected withdrawal creates challenges for Swiatek’s preparation schedule leading up to the French Open, where she has established herself as a dominant force. The Polish player has claimed the Roland Garros title four times, including her most recent victory in 2024.
Swiatek plans to resume her French Open preparation at the upcoming Italian Open, scheduled to run from May 5-17. The main draw competition at the French Open is set to begin on May 24.
