"Went downhill after Rafael Nadal loss""Who's poisoning these guys": Fans react to Madrid Open "curse" as Jiri Lehecka joins others with SF retirement

Jiri Lehecka, who ended Rafael Nadal's final dance, retired from an injury in his match against Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Lehecka joined Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Jakub Mensik on the list of players who have had to withdraw or retire from their matches at the 2024 Madrid Open. Carlos Alcaraz is yet another big name, who competed at the tournament while dealing with a forearm injury but fell to seventh seed Andrey Rublev.

The 22-year-old, who withdrew from the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open, seemed to be clutching his lower back in pain during the sixth game. He went to get treatment but decided to retire after playing a few points. Lehecka's victory over Nadal and Medvedev's retirement, helped the Czech reach his first Masters 1000 semifinal.

Fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their concern over the ongoing issue with one of the fans saying how everything went downhill after Nadal's loss to Lehecka before going on to call the tournament cursed.

"Everything went downhill after Rafa's loss in Madrid, this tournament is truly cursed"

Another worried fan asked who was poisoning the players.

"this is crazy who is poisoning these guys"

Here are some other reactions from the fans. Some of them questioned whether the tournament was cursed.

"Whats happening in Madrid?? cursed tournament...Get well soon Jiri" a fan asked

"It really is cursed by far the wackiest masters 1000 I’ve seen" a fan said

It’s a curse or something? Sinner, Medvedev, can even put Alcaraz there… "Lehecka got a back injury after Miami that prevented him from starting his clay season until Madrid." another fan questioned

Some fans also tried to come up with possible reasons for this mayhem in Madrid.

"Alcaraz's injuries are not mutually exclusive from other ATP players. Evidence? Mensik, Medvedev, Sinner and Lehecka the last few days. Paul and Cazaux with ankle injuries previous weeks. With the congested schedule, no real preseason and a high workload, athletes are at risk." said a fan

"man it’s breaking my heart almost even more than for Daniil" a fan mentioned

"Literally what is happening in this tournament - everyone is getting injured" a fan asked

Lehecka retiring from the semifinal against Aliasiime, sent the Canadian into his first-ever singles Masters 1000 final. He will be taking on Rublev, who will be looking for his second Masters 1000 title.

"I always believed and always wished to have this happen sometimes" - Jiri Lehecka on defeating Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal

During his post-match on-court interview Jiri Lehecka acknowledged that beating Rafael Nadal was one of the biggest achievements of his career. He also admitted that the triumph was bittersweet since everyone was cheering for the Spaniard but nonetheless was happy to go through.

"I always believed and always wished to have this happen sometimes. It happened today and I'm very grateful for me to achieve such a such a big moment. But all the best to Rafa. It's kind of bittersweet to have such a nice win in front of all these people cheering everyone for him. But the energy here was amazing and I'm happy to be through," Lehecka said.

Both Nadal and Lehecka are slated to play at the Italian Open next. However, the Spaniard's participation depends on the condition of his body whereas the Czech will have to understand the gravity of his injury first.