Coco Gauff, the world No. 4, retired from her third-round match at Indian Wells on Sunday due to intense pain in her left arm. The two-time major champion described the sensation as her arm feeling "on fire."
Gauff, who has only retired from one previous match in her career, took a medical timeout before withdrawing while trailing Alex Eala 6-2, 2-0. She apologized to Eala for the abrupt end to their contest.
"It felt like a firework was going off inside of my arm, and then my whole arm felt like it was on fire," Gauff stated after the match. She indicated that the pain was likely nerve-related and described the experience as "scary."
An MRI is scheduled for Monday to assess the injury. Gauff expressed optimism that it would not be a long-term issue and that she should be able to compete in Miami. The retirement advances Eala to the round of 16.