A widespread power outage has caused significant disruption at the Madrid Open tennis tournament, forcing play to be suspended.
Several major cities throughout both Spain and Portugal are currently experiencing blackouts.
The incident impacted the sporting event directly. British tennis player Jacob Fearnley was competing against Grigor Dimitrov when a loud bang was heard between points, and the power failed.
At the time of the halt, Fearnley was down a set and losing 5-4 in the second set.
The umpire immediately stopped the match as the scoreboard and the electronic line calling system ceased functioning.
Players and spectators were initially left confused, especially when the official, Adel Nour, incredibly offered to judge line calls from his chair by the court.
However, Fearnley then noticed that the spider cam suspended above the net was stuck and potentially hazardous.
Subsequently, the umpire announced a power outage, and both players were directed to the locker rooms.
Play at the Masters 1000 tournament was halted for two hours, with no immediate indication of when matches would resume.
In a strange turn of events, the DJ in the main stadium managed to get the music playing through the speakers. This led fans who had left to try (unsuccessfully) to purchase food and drink to return to their seats, only to discover that play was still suspended.
The power cuts were not limited to the tennis; entire cities across Spain and Portugal lost electricity and internet connectivity.
Airports and train systems across both nations came to a standstill.
Major traffic congestion occurred in areas like Madrid as traffic lights failed, requiring emergency services to manage the chaotic situation.
Madrid`s Barajas Airport is reportedly without power, Valencia`s metro network was shut down for the day, and similar disruptions were reported in Seville, Barcelona, and Pamplona.
Data from Spain`s national electricity grid operator, Red Electrica, showed a significant and rapid drop in power output.
Red Electrica stated they are working urgently to restore electricity supply, confirming that a system failure had occurred across the entire Iberian peninsula.
Jacob Fearnley, a 23-year-old player from Edinburgh, has been dubbed the “next Andy Murray” following a remarkable ascent in the rankings over the past year.
In 2024, this rising star set a record for the largest ranking jump in a single year, climbing 547 positions.
Fearnley is currently ranked World No. 68 and reached the third round of the Australian Open earlier this year, notably defeating former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios.
