Iga Swiatek's Madrid Run Over: Six-Time Grand Slam Champion Forced to Retire Mid-Match With Illness

Iga Swiatek's bid to repeat at Madrid is done. The No. 4 seed withdrew from the Mutua Madrid Open on Saturday after battling illness during her round-of-32 match against Ann Li. She'd won the Madrid title in 2024, but this year's tournament ended in disappointment.

Swiatek started strong against the No. 31 seed Li, storming out to a 4-0 lead in the second set after dropping the first. She won 16 of 21 points to take that set in 39 minutes. But the six-time Grand Slam Champion looked visibly unwell the entire match. Down 2-0 in the third set, she called for a medical timeout while doctors checked her out. She tried to return and keep fighting, but retired after Li held serve.

Virus on Site, Zero Energy, No Choice

Swiatek said after the match that she'd been feeling sick for two days leading up to Saturday. "I heard there is something going on between players, that the virus is somewhere on site. I'm sure I'll be fine in a couple of days, but I had zero energy and zero stability and just felt really bad physically, and yesterday even worse," she said.

The frustration was real. Swiatek came into Madrid feeling confident about her game. "On the court before the tournament I felt like I'm playing great, so actually it's sad for me that I can't play, because I was feeling really good with my game, and I was moving forward in the process, so, this was positive," she explained. "But for me the tournament has just started and I couldn't even compete today, so it's disappointing."

Clay Court Struggles Keep Adding Up

This exit marks Swiatek's earliest exit in five appearances at Madrid. But bigger picture, the Polish star has been sliding on clay recently. In 2025, she failed to defend both her Madrid and Italian Open titles and lost in the French Open semifinals. This spring, she hasn't won more than one match in two clay court tournaments. The surface where she used to be untouchable is becoming a real problem.

Li, the No. 31 seed, picked up her second Top 10 win in 12 chances and her career-high victory. She'll face No. 24 seed Leylah Fernandez of Canada in the Round of 16 on Monday.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.