Coco Gauff, a rising star in the world of tennis and two-time Grand Slam champion, has provided an encouraging update on her condition as she gears up for the highly anticipated 2026 Miami Open. This comes in the wake of a troubling arm injury that abruptly halted her campaign at the Indian Wells tournament earlier this month. During that match against Alex Eala, Gauff was forced to retire while trailing 2-6, 0-2, plagued by excruciating pain in her left arm.
The 22-year-old American reflected on her harrowing experience after the match, describing the sensation as “nerve-related” and “scary.” “Never had anything like this before, never felt anything, a sensation like this before,” she revealed candidly. As the match progressed, the pain intensified even during moments when she wasn't using her left arm. “It was feeling like fireworks at times. Yeah, it was a scary feeling, but yeah, I don’t know,” she added, emphasizing the distressing nature of her injury.
In a pre-tournament press conference in Miami, Gauff shared that her condition has been steadily improving. “It was a nerve thing, like I said immediately after the match,” she reiterated, offering fans a glimmer of hope. “Every day is different. But for the most part I’ll be fine playing this tournament. I may feel it sometimes on court, but I definitely feel it less and less every day, if that makes sense.”
The world No. 4 expressed her determination to compete, revealing that if the tournament was not the Miami Open, she might have considered sitting it out. “I think the goal was to play this tournament,” she stated. “There was a thought of maybe skipping it, but if it wasn’t Miami I probably would skip it, but the fact that it is Miami, I really wanted to be here.”
Gauff also opened up about her experience undergoing an MRI for the first time, likening the machine to a coffin and admitting to feeling claustrophobic. “That was the first time I took an MRI, they’re expensive, and I felt like that’s what a coffin would feel like. It was very weird. I felt claustrophobic, so I definitely don’t want to go into one of those again.”
With six previous appearances at the Miami Open that have not seen her progress beyond the fourth round, Gauff is eager to change that narrative. “I would love to do well here; it seems like every time I do bad here, I end up doing well on clay, but this is obviously a bucket list tournament for me,” she expressed passionately. The Florida native highlighted her unique experience of balancing her home life during the tournament, noting that neither staying at home nor in a hotel proved to be beneficial. “Maybe this is the year,” she mused optimistically.
As fans await her performance at this prestigious tournament, Gauff’s resilience and tenacity shine through, reaffirming her status as an athlete to watch. With her sights set firmly on success in Miami, the tennis world holds its breath, eager to see if this will indeed be her breakthrough moment on home soil.
