Stomach virus runs through Madrid Open field as tennis stars try to navigate puking and pollen

“It’s just a virus going around between the city and then I think the players got it, and then I think I got it from another player that was sick and their locker is close to mine,” Gauff said.

“What can you do except just try to get through it.”

Gauff’s diagnosis of herself and the tournament put her in line with the event’s organizers, who have had to work overtime trying to tamp down rumors that the food in the player dining area might be the source of the problems.

“There is no issue with the food. It is a gastroenteritis virus, like any other virus, but the food is perfectly OK,” Rafael Plaza, a spokesperson for the tournament, wrote in a message Sunday.

The intestinal issue comes on the heels of the pollen struggles that have plagued the tournament in the past. Jannik Sinner mentioned it after a loss to Alexei Popyrin in 2021, and even for players who do not have severe hayfever, it can have enough of an impact on congestion and breathing to cause issues.

There is plenty of overgrowth around the Caja Mágica, and a warm and dry spring has compounded the problem this year. Plaza said this has been the worst season for pollen in years. Climate change has made matters worse, extending the growing season. Some rain would help, and there is some in the forecast for the second week, but there isn’t much the tournament can do to make it better. Madrid’s largely idyllic climate this time of year comes with some disadvantages.

Dr. Robby Sikka, the medical director for the Professional Tennis Players Association, said pollen-induced allergic reactions can go well beyond itchy eyes and runny noses.

“For athletes, it can be a performance issue,” Sikka wrote in a text message last week. “When pollen counts are high, players are breathing huge volumes of air during long, high-intensity matches. If they are mouth-breathing, they bypass some of the nose’s natural filtering system, so more pollen and irritants can reach the lower airways. That can trigger inflammation, coughing, chest tightness, or exercise-induced bronchospasm.”

Gauff gave her on-court interview with an ice towel around her neck, putting it to her mouth several times as she spoke to try to avoid spreading it, and also keeping it close in case there were any lingering symptoms about to emerge. She said hydration and rest were on her schedule for the afternoon following the 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 win over Cirstea.

Caty McNally, who saved a match point with a nasty backhand drop shot before prevailing over Kateřina Siniaková in three sets, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(2), said the virus has spared her so far. After two years of injuries and surgery, McNally will make a rare appearance in the round of 16 at a WTA 1000 Monday and isn’t taking any chances.

“My only diet on site is chicken and rice,” McNally said. “There are a couple of good places that I’ve been eating, back by the hotel, and I’ve just been keeping it really simple, like really simple foods.”

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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