Why did Madrid Open suffer massive power cut that affected Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek & others? All you need to know

A major power blackout that hit Spain and surrounding areas like Portugal and parts of France, hampered matches at the Madrid Open. Resulting from the collapse of the electricity transmission system of these countries, the blackout has the potential to last longer than expected, putting the schedule of the tournament in question.

The official statement on the tour's social media handle announced the cancellation of the matches for April 28, 2025, along with which the Round of 16 clash between Jacob Fearnley and Grigor Dimitrov was also cancelled. While players like Coco Gauff got a lucky escape from this situation, it puts the fate of many heavyweight clashes like that of Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek in question.

The 12-day-long tournament has the capacity to accommodate the rescheduling of matches, given that the power outage lasts for only one day. Hence, the authorities are trying their best to get the issue fixed within the next three to six hours, to avoid any more logistical issues.

In a statement released by the Red Eléctrica de España, the Transmission System Operator (TSO) in Spain, they said:

“Protocols have been activated to restore the electricity supply in collaboration with companies in the sector, after the outage that occurred in the Iberian peninsular’s system. The causes are being analyzed and every resource is being dedicated to solving the issue. We will continue to report on the situation.”

This issue led to a logistical nightmare for the Madrid Open organisers, including managing the disruptions that emerged among the spectators who came to watch the matches. Some were even seen using torches to navigate the dark interiors and using cash to complete transactions in food stalls.

The players also reacted to coping with this sudden challenge.

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Tennis players on coping with Madrid Open power issue

Coco Gauff and Marta Kostyuk on Madrid Open- Source: Getty

Coco Gauff and Marta Kostyuk had a light-hearted take on the power issue faced all over Spain, which cast a cloud of uncertainty on the Madrid Open. The 2023 US Open Champion posted a picture of a staff holding candles on her Instagram stories as she wrote:

"when the power goes out @mutuamadridopen."

This was later followed by her posting an update on the situation at Madrid Open, in which she also expressed gratitude for having finished her match earlier and also added that traffic lights weren't working during her errand runs.

"Apparently the power is out in most of the country and in Portugal I finished my match right before it happened. Thank god," she wrote.

"traffic lights don't work lol we got out the car after 1 hour and 45 mins slowly moving and just walked to the hotel," she added.

Screenshot via @cocogauff on Instagram, 28th April, 2025.

Kostyuk too hilariously added to the conversation, wrinting that 1000 candles were lit on a WTA 1000 event.

"WTA 1000 and 1000 candles! Any updates on the schedule, DKET?" she wrote.

Screenshot via @martakostyuk on Instagram, 28th April, 2025

It is expected that the authorities will try to figure out a solution to the situation soon, enabling the matches to commence as per schedule on April 29, 2025.