Coco Gauff was unable to attend Sunday night’s post-match press conference in Indian Wells, but she did answer questions and speak through a tour representative.
The American lost 6-2, 2-0 RET to Alexandra Eala, who later described the pain she felt starting in her left arm in the second game of the tournament.
“I felt like the second game of the first set,” she said. “I guess to put it in a simple way, it felt like a firework exploded inside my arm and then my whole arm felt like it was on fire.”
Gough said she wouldn’t tomorrow, but she had a hunch the problem was neurological.
Yes, we’ll find out what it is tomorrow, but based on the sensation, we’re told it could be nerve-related,” she said. “There’s never been anything like this before, never had any sensation, anything like this before. And then as the game went on, it got worse and worse, even though I wasn’t using my arm to shoot, I wasn’t even using my left arm.
“It feels like fireworks sometimes. Yeah, it’s a scary feeling, but, yeah, I don’t know.”
Still, Gauff believes the injury is not serious and said she will likely perform well at the Miami Open later this month.
“We’re going to get an MRI tomorrow to see what’s going on,” she said. “The good news is they don’t think this is going to be a long-term situation, so I should be fine in Miami. We just have to figure out what it is and, I guess, how to prevent it in the future.”
