Marin Cilic was supposed to play Joao Fonseca in the second round of the Madrid Open.
The 2014 US Open champion defeated Zizou Bergs in his opening match, setting up a second-round clash with the Brazilian prospect.
Ahead of their first career meeting, Cilic spoke at length about how excited he was to play Fonseca.
Who is the greatest player to have only won one Grand Slam title?
So many to choose from…
But the Croat never took to the court, withdrawing from the tournament before his match against Fonseca.
Marin Cilic apologises to fans after withdrawing from match with Joao Fonseca due to food poisoning
Cilic shared the following message on Instagram.
“Hi everyone,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I got food poisoning yesterday.
“After trying to recover all night, my body is unfortunately exhausted and not at the proper level to get into the battle.
“Apologies to all the fans who were waiting to watch the match.
“I was so excited to be back in Madrid.
“Gracias a todos [thank you all] for the support.
“Good luck, Joao Fonseca, and I hope that we have a chance to play somewhere again!”
Fonseca was quick to respond.
“Thank you!” he said.
“Wishing you a speedy recovery.”
Cilic will hope to recover in time for the upcoming Italian Open, while Fonseca turns his attentions to the third round.
Joao Fonseca prepares for Rafael Jodar test in Madrid
There aren’t many players in better form than 19-year-old Rafael Jodar.
The Spaniard has lost only one match on clay this year, and has quickly established himself as one of the brightest prospects in men’s tennis.
Rafael Jodar’s record on clay in 2026
- Grand Prix Hassan II 1R [WIN] vs Dusan Lajovic, 6-3, 6-4
- Grand Prix Hassan II 2R [WIN] vs Tomas Machac, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
- Grand Prix Hassan II QF [WIN] vs Alexandre Muller, 6-2, 2-0 (RET)
- Grand Prix Hassan II SF [WIN] vs Camilo Ugo Carabelli, 6-2, 6-1
- Grand Prix Hassan II F [WIN] vs Marco Trungelliti, 6-3, 6-2
- Barcelona Open 1R [WIN] vs Jaume Munar, 6-1, 6-2
- Barcelona Open 2R [WIN] vs Camilo Ugo Carabelli, 6-3, 6-3
- Barcelona Open QF [WIN] vs Cameron Norrie, 6-3, 6-2
- Barcelona Open SF [LOSS] vs Arthur Fils, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6
- Madrid Open 1R [WIN] vs Jesper De Jong, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4
- Madrid Open 2R [WIN] vs Alex de Minaur, 6-3, 6-1
His latest win was by far his most impressive, taking down top-10 star Alex de Minaur on Manolo Santana.
He’ll be looking to pick up another big win in the third round, when he takes on Fonseca.
The Brazilian has long been touted as the man to disrupt Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s ATP Tour dominance.
But with Jodar’s stock rising by the day, a defeat here for Fonseca could see the Spaniard take his place in those conversations.
Having been ranked outside the world’s top 100 at the beginning of the year, Jodar is now within striking range of his fellow 19-year-old.
Live ATP Rankings
| Rank | Name | Age | Country | Points |
| 28 | Jakub Mensik | 20 | Czechia | 1,510 |
| 29 | Joao Fonseca | 19 | Brazil | 1,435 |
| 30 | Corentin Moutet | 27 | France | 1,393 |
| 31 | Tallon Griekspoor | 29 | Netherlands | 1,360 |
| 32 | Brandon Naksahima | 24 | USA | 1,295 |
| 33 | Ugo Humbert | 27 | France | 1,280 |
| 34 | Denis Shapovalov | 27 | Canada | 1,170 |
| 35 | Jaume Munar | 28 | Spain | 1,155 |
| 36 | Rafael Jodar | 19 | Spain | 1,123 |
| 37 | Holger Rune | 22 | Denmark | 1,110 |
If Jodar reaches the semi-finals in Madrid, he will move ahead of Fonseca in the rankings.
He won’t want to get ahead of himself, though, and neither should fans of either player!
There is no reason to go over the top, for better or for worse, regardless of who wins their third-round match in Madrid.
But it is certainly a match you won’t want to miss, and one that could be the first of many between two stars of the future.
Fonseca and Jodar will battle it out for a place in the fourth round of the Madrid Open on Sunday, April 26.
