Brazilian tennis player Fernando Romboli experienced an unexpected delay during the Madrid Open when he became stuck in an elevator. This incident occurred amidst a significant power outage that impacted large parts of Spain and Portugal on Monday, leading to Spain declaring a national emergency.
The power failure caused considerable disruption at Madrid`s Caja Magica venue, leaving several players stranded in the sudden darkness that enveloped the concourse.
Romboli, a 36-year-old doubles specialist ranked world No. 62, found himself particularly affected. He had stepped into a lift just moments before the electricity supply failed. Although not participating in the main draw this week, he was present at the site as an alternate player.
Adding to his inconvenient situation, the recent champion of the Houston tournament spent approximately half an hour trapped inside the lift.
Romboli documented his predicament with a selfie taken from inside the elevator, showing him giving a thumbs-up. He shared the photo, tagging the Madrid Open and adding a caption that highlighted his frustrating timing: “30 minutes stuck in the elevator… if there`s an alternate now I won`t make it in time.”
Fortunately, maintenance personnel at the venue were eventually able to manually open the elevator doors and free Romboli.
Elsewhere at the tournament, US Open champion Coco Gauff managed to complete her match against Belinda Bencic, securing a 6-4 6-2 victory just before the power went out around 12:30 pm.
Gauff, 21, was in the middle of her on-court interview when the power failed, causing her microphone to cut out mid-sentence.
She later mentioned the extent of the disruption, stating that she couldn`t even shower after her match and eventually had to walk back to her hotel because the streets around the Caja Magica were completely gridlocked.
British newcomer Jacob Fearnley was in a tense moment when play stopped, about to serve to stay in his match against Grigor Dimitrov with the score at 4-6, 4-5. All remaining matches scheduled for the day were subsequently cancelled, and spectators were advised to leave the venue if possible.
Inside the venue, fans navigated the darkened concourse, using their phone flashlights. Stalls selling refreshments were operational, but only cash payments could be accepted as contactless payment systems were non-functional.
Teenage talent Mirra Andreeva was one player who did manage to finish her match. The young Russian completed her contest against Yuliia Starodubtseva despite the power cut, with the umpire calling the lines for the final points.
`KIND OF EXCITING`
Andreeva, who turns 18 on Tuesday, shared her perspective with the WTA after her match: “This is my first blackout. It’s actually kind of exciting because I’ve never experienced anything like this.”
She added, “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.”
Assuming power is fully restored, Tuesday is expected to be a busy day as the tournament organizers work to catch up on the schedule. Jacob Fearnley`s suspended match against Grigor Dimitrov is planned to be the second fixture on the Manolo Santana court, following the match between Diana Shnaider and world No. 2 Iga Swiatek.
