The 2025 season wasn’t kind to Sophie Cunningham. She entered the offseason carrying an MCL tear, along with digestive issues as side effects. Even last month, when she started a new diet, she learned about her stomach issues.

She underwent a food sensitivity test and discovered a list of foods that her body can’t tolerate. And just when it looked like everything was fine, she hit with another setback.

As per her December 28 Instagram Story, Cunningham is battling food poisoning. She shared a photo of herself looking visibly pale, paired with a concerning caption. 

“Had food poisoning all night. Can’t keep anything down now. Trying to fly home. Body is shaking. Can barely move. HELP,” she wrote.

“Hey, day four of hot Pilates,” Cunningham said in an Instagram Story video on December 18. “I did go yesterday. I went in the morning, and those morning classes are more about meditation and stretching. I always do rehab every day for my knee. I did on-court work yesterday and Pilates too. I probably overdid it a little.”

So clearly, Sophie had been making steady progress and working toward better conditioning as she prepares for the 2026 season. For now, though, that momentum has been temporarily halted.

But is it related to the result of her previous diagnosis?

Earlier in October, Sophie Cunningham was on a digestion program. She underwent some tests, which showed she was highly sensitive to certain foods.

As she put it herself, “Trainers called and they’re like, ‘Your sensitivity test came back,’ because I’ve been having stomach issues, right? And I am allergic—or not allergic, highly sensitive—to dairy, especially yogurt. Like, you’re supposed to be at like a 3.9 with sensitivity. I was like at 30-something,” Cunningham explained on October 17. “I eat cheese for fun. This is going to be a huge problem.”

She also revealed that she was highly sensitive to rice, pork, pineapple, and beef. These were foods Sophie was used to eating, so the diagnosis required major lifestyle adjustments.

While it’s not clear, it’s possible her current situation might be the result of an allergic reaction.

Written by

Yashika Dutta

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu