Players at the Madrid Open have been left without running water after a mass power outage hit the tournament. Organisers have already but those who managed to win before play was suspended are stuck at the Caja Magica with limited facilities.
Coco Gauff booked her spot in the quarter-final moments before the electricity cut out and later shared a video of the . She has since revealed that she found there was no running water. And is now worried she will have to "sleep in the gym" if she cannot leave the grounds.
A widespread power failure has hit parts of Spain and Portugal, and the joint ATP-WTA 1000 event in Madrid has been heavily affected. Matches were suspended shortly after the blackout started and play has now been cancelled altogether.
It has now emerged that players who were on site when the power failed are worried they will have to stay at the Caja Magica overnight and are unable to return to their hotels, with traffic lights and public transport affected.
Gauff was one of the lucky ones who completed her match before play was halted for the day, beating Belinda Bencic in straight sets. The electricity went out in the middle of her on-court interview and she later realised she couldn't even shower.
"There's no running water so I just had to take baby wipes and wipe myself and spray some perfume and call it a day," the world No. 4 told the .
"I don't think we're even going to be able to go back to the hotel because the traffic lights are out.
"It's just crazy how much we depend on electricity, it's really insane and puts it in perspective. Also makes me think about the humans before electricity and how impressive that is."
Gauff had initially requested to play the second day session match on Monday but she's now glad her plea wasn't answered.
The American is through to the quarter-final to face Andreeva, who was serving for the match as the blackout hit and played the last few points with the umpire calling the lines.
"It was 15-40 on my serve. I was like, 'Oh, Mirra, please, please do everything in your power to take this game and finish the match'," she recalled.
"Because I knew that if it would go to 5-5 probably we would have to wait and I would be here yet."
The players left on-site have bonded over the bizarre experience, though Andreeva - who celebrates her 18th birthday tomorrow - is worried she will begin adulthood by sleeping in the gym.
She continued: "Everyone is using the phones with flashlights but it's also kind of fun because everyone is talking together, the atmosphere is a little bit more friendly.
"This is my first blackout. It's actually kind of exciting because I've never experienced anything like this. I'm super happy that they put me first so I got to finish everything on time.
"But I don't want to spend the night here and sleep in the gym, but we're going to see what they tell us and just go from there."
, having to abandon a car and walk the rest of the way back, while one player got stuck in a lift.
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