Tennis player Clara Tauson’s collapse falsely tied to vaccines

Context

On Wednesday, September 20, 2023, the Danish tennis player Clara Tauson collapsed during a match at the WTA tournament in Guangzhou, China. After medical staff tended to her, Tauson was wheeled off the court in a wheelchair. Following the incident, claims spread on X (formerly Twitter) that the collapse was a vaccine side effect. 

One user posted three vaccine emojis, stressing that Tauson is experiencing these problems after 2019, the year the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. Another shared footage of Tauson lying on the court being tended to by medical personnel, adding the hashtag #sideeffects, while a third noted ironically, “Don’t worry, it’s totally normal that elite athletes collapse in temperatures they play in everyday. Remember, it’s NOT… 💉💉+💉💉💉=🤧🤒💔☠️”, adding the hashtags of “side effects” and “mRNA consequences.” 

However, Tauson’s collapse was caused by overheating from extreme weather conditions, Tauson’s camp has explained.

In fact

The collapse happened at the beginning of the third set of the second-round match between Tauson and Kazakhstani player Yulia Putintseva. Tauson appeared uncomfortable during the match and had to take a knee a few times late in the second set. 

Her collapse was due to the extreme heat the match was played in, Tauson’s father, Søren Tauson, told Danish media. “She [Clara Tauson] always sweats a lot and here, of course, it was extremely profuse. It is not possible to drink enough to maintain fluid balance. That is the problem that created the situation,” he said.

He explained that the court doctor had advised Tauson to retire halfway through the second set due to health concerns, but that Tauson opted to push on. He also said that she is doing better and is being looked after by doctors. 

During the past week, Guangzhou has experienced temperatures well above 30 degrees, with matches at the WTA tournament being delayed for hours due to the heat.

Attributing collapses, heart attacks and other medical ailments to COVID-19 vaccinations have been common in anti-vaccine circles on social media following the global roll-out of the vaccines from early 2020 onward. The claims have been thoroughly debunked by Logically Facts and others.

The verdict

Tennis player Clara Tauson’s collapse during the WTA tournament in Guangzhou happened due to extreme heat that made it difficult for Tauson to maintain fluid balance, according to Tauson’s father. It was not related to COVID-19 vaccinations. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.