After missing her first opportunity three years ago, Coco Gauff is all set to make her Olympics debut this month in Paris.
She’ll get to make history at the Opening Ceremony, too.
The 20-year-old tennis star will join LeBron James and serve as a flag bearer for the United States at the Opening Ceremony on Friday, marking an incredible first Olympics outing. Gauff is the first U.S. tennis player to carry the flag in history, and she’s the youngest to ever carry the flag for Team USA.
I just want to say thank you to my fellow team usa olympians/athletes for voting and choosing me for this incredible honor to be the flag bearer for the opening ceremony ❤️. Thank you so much. I am incredibly honored. 🥹🇺🇸
— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) July 24, 2024
Let’s look back at Gauff’s road to the Olympics ahead of her attempt to land a gold medal at Roland Garros.
Coco Gauff misses Tokyo Olympics due to COVID-19
Gauff was supposed to make her Olympics debut in 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics, though she tested positive for COVID-19 in the days leading up to the event. So Gauff, who was 17 at the time, had to withdraw from the Games altogether.
Her withdrawal that year came just weeks after a fourth-round loss at Wimbledon, which is still her best finish at the Grand Slam. She was No. 25 in the WTA rankings at the time.
Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic won the old medal in Tokyo.
Coco Gauff stuns Venus Williams to kick off career
Gauff, of course, burst onto the scene in 2019 when she became the youngest player in the Open Era to qualify for Wimbledon — which she did at just 15. She then beat Venus Williams in straight sets in what was an incredibly emotional scene in London. That was just her third tour-level match at the time, while Williams —a five-time Wimbledon singles champion — was the oldest player in the field and near the end of her remarkable career.
Gauff reached her first Grand Slam final in 2022, though she fell to Iga Swiatek in straight sets at Roland Garros. The next year, Gauff beat Aryna Sabalenka in the U.S. Open final to pick up her first major title. She rallied to win the final two sets after dropping the opening one 2-6 in New York.
This season, Gauff reached the semifinals in both the Australian Open and the French Open. She’s coming off a fourth-round loss at Wimbledon, too, and is ranked No. 2 in the world.
Coco Gauff to play singles, doubles, mixed doubles in Paris
After missing the Tokyo Games, Gauff is maximizing her chances at a medal this summer.
Gauff will play in the singles competition in Paris, starting with a first-round matchup against Ajla Tomljanović.
She will also team up with Jessica Pegula in women’s doubles. The duo will start against Australia’s Daria Saville and Ellen Perez. Pegula, 30, is No. 6 in the WTA rankings. They played together at Wimbledon and reached the quarterfinals.
Finally, Gauff will team up with Taylor Fritz in mixed doubles. Fritz, who is No. 11 in the ATP rankings, is coming off a quarterfinal run at Wimbledon — which matched his best finish at a Grand Slam in his career. They’ll start against Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska and Maximo Gonzalez.
Tennis competition begins on Saturday at Roland Garros.
