Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula confirmed that a virus was spreading around during the WTA Finals in Riyadh, and the reigning Australian Open champion admitting that she advised her colleagues to stay away from her.
During this year's WTA Finals, a couple of players appeared to be dealing with some kind of illness, with some taking medical time-outs and pills on the court.
Keys, who went up by a set against Amanda Anisimova in her second group-stage match, was visited by a doctor early in the second set of their match. After Anisimova pulled off a comeback to beat the 2025 Australian Open champion 4-6 6-3 6-2, the 30-year-old American gestured toward her chest and stomach area, indicating that she felt unwell and that it would be wise to avoid shaking hands.
Two days later, Keys withdrew from her last Round Robin match against Elena Rybakina due to illness. Mirra Andreeva, who was the first alternate in Riyadh, refused to replace Keys because she was also ill. In the end, Ekaterina Alexandrova stepped in and took on Rybakina.
Keys, Pegula discuss the WTA Finals virus
"I started coming down with it, and I was like, 'Jess, stay away from everyone. Dont go near anyone,' because we were all dying," the reigning Australian Open champion said on The Player's Box podcast.
Pegula confirmed Keys' claim.
"Yeah, it wasnt great. It sucks when that happens, especially at a tournament where it just spreads. Were all eating together, hitting, practicing, using the gym. So that was kind of a bummer," the 2024 US Open finalist said.
While Keys' Riyadh campaign ended after only two matches, Pegula managed to do a bit better and reach the semifinal stage. There, the American tennis star went up by a set against Rybakina before the Kazakh stormed back to win 4-6 6-4 6-3.
