The Mutua Madrid Open experienced one of the most harrowing days in its history on Monday when a massive blackout throughout Spain forced the suspension of activity in the Caja Mágica. At 16:45, the organization issued an official statement announcing the cancellation of the day’s play due to an operational collapse caused by a lack of electricity supply. “The safety of players, fans and workers is our priority,” the statement read.

The blackout, which paralyzed key infrastructures such as the subway and traffic signals in Madrid, generated some chaos and confusion among the thousands of attendees who had come to enjoy the best tennis in the world.

Chaos and confusion in the Magic Box

From 12:30 p.m. onwards, tennis came to a complete halt at the Madrid facilities. The turnstiles were inoperative, allowing entry only to accredited workers, which caused protests among fans who had purchased tickets for the day session. Inside, the scoreboards were turned off, the stands stopped and the corridors plunged into darkness, while some players continued training on the outdoor courts.

“I came all the way from San Sebastian with my family to enjoy tennis, but we couldn’t have had worse luck,” lamented a fan affected by the situation. The lack of operational public transport further complicated the departure of the attendees, who had to face long walks or even resort to hitchhiking to return home.

Parties affected by the blackout

The blackout interrupted several matches scheduled in the first round, such as the duel between Grigor Dimitrov and Jacob Fearnley on center court, and the clash between Damir Dzumhur and Matteo Arnaldi on the Arantxa Sánchez Vicario court. The doubles match between Christian Harrison and Evan King against Matthew Ebden and John Peers was also suspended.

However, some matches managed to be completed before the interruption. In the women’s draw, Mirra Andreeva defeated Yulia Starodubtseva, while Coco Gauff overcame Belinda Bencic. Both players advanced to the next round on a day that will be remembered as one of the most surreal of the tournament.

Disorder in the evacuation and resumption of the tournament

After the suspension of the day’s play, the fans evacuated the Caja Mágica in an orderly fashion amid general disorder throughout the country. The lack of operational public transport, added to the large number of attendees, complicated the exit from the facilities, although it was carried out without incident, which is the most important thing.

The Mutua Madrid Open organizers have announced that the tournament has resumed this Tuesday from 12:00 noon onwards as normal.