Coco Gauff, the reigning US Open champion, joins LeBron James as a flag bearer for Team USA at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. (AP/Alberto Pezzali)

- Coco Gauff, the reigning US Open champion, will be the first tennis athlete to carry the US flag at the Olympics.
- Gauff missed the Tokyo Games three years ago due to testing positive for COVID-19 right before her flight to Japan.
- The 20-year-old Gauff is seeded No. 2 in singles and No. 1 in doubles with partner Jessica Pegula at the Paris Olympics.
Share
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
PARIS — Tennis star Coco Gauff will join LeBron James as a flag bearer for the U.S. Olympic team at Friday’s opening ceremony.
Gauff, the reigning U.S. Open champion, is set to make her Olympic debut at the Paris Games and will be the first tennis athlete to carry the U.S. flag. She and James were chosen by Team USA athletes.
“I mean, for me, the Olympics is a top priority. I would say equal to the Grand Slams. I wouldn’t put it above or below, just because I’ve never played before. This is my first time,” Gauff said earlier this year. “Obviously, I always want to do well, try to get a medal.”
Gauff and James, the 39-year-old leading scorer in NBA history, both compete in sports that are outside the traditional Olympic world and get attention year-round, not just every four years.
Related Story: LeBron James Selected as Team USA Male Flagbearer for Paris Olympics Opening ...
Gauff Missed Tokyo Games Due to COVID-19
The 20-year-old Gauff made the American team for the Tokyo Games three years ago as a teenager but had to sit out those Olympics because she tested positive for COVID-19 right before she was supposed to fly to Japan.
Now Gauff, who is based in Florida, is a Grand Slam title winner in singles and doubles. She won her first major championship in New York in September, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the singles final of the U.S. Open, then added her first Grand Slam doubles trophy at the French Open this June alongside Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic.
Related Story: Diana Taurasi Set for Paris Olympics, Trying to Become First Basketball Player ...
Paris Olympics to Be Held on French Open Courts
The same clay courts at Roland Garros used for the French Open will be where matches are going to be held for the Paris Olympics. The draw to set the brackets is Thursday, and play begins on Saturday.
Gauff is seeded No. 2 in singles, matching her current WTA ranking behind No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland, and will be among the medal favorites.
She and her usual doubles partner, Jessica Pegula, are seeded No. 1 in women’s doubles. And Gauff and the highest-ranked American man, Taylor Fritz, were seeded No. 2 in mixed doubles when those pairings were announced Wednesday.
Related Story: Simone Biles Has a Shot at History at the Olympics While Defending Champion ...
Gauff Treating Olympics as Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience
“I’m not putting too much pressure on it, because I really want to fully indulge in the experience,” Gauff said about her Olympic debut. “Hopefully I can have the experience multiple times in my lifetime, (but) I’ll treat it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
RELATED TOPICS:
Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation, Faces 16 Years in Prison
3 hours ago
US Imposes Sanctions on Mexican Fuel Theft Network It Links to CJNG Cartel
5 hours ago
Last Chevron-Chartered Vessel Starts to Return Oil Cargo in Venezuela, Data and Source Say
5 hours ago
At Least 9 Dead in Drone Strikes After US and Ukraine Sign Minerals Deal
5 hours ago
New CIA Videos Aim to Lure Chinese Officials
6 hours ago
Trump Taps Waltz for US Ambassador to the United Nations
6 hours ago

Fresno County Crew Rescues Man Who Fell Into Ponding Basin Near Coalinga

Where Valley Lawmakers Stand on Punishing Seekers of Teens for Sex

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation, Faces 16 Years in Prison
