PARIS-. The tennis star Coco Gauff will accompany LeBron James as the standard-bearer of United States Olympic Team at the opening ceremony on Friday.
Gauff, the reigning US Open champion, will be christened an Olympian in Paris 2024 and will be the first tennis player to carry the US flag. Gauff and James were chosen by American athletes.
Gauff, 20, was selected for the Tokyo Games three years ago but was unable to attend after testing positive for COVID-19 just before flying to Japan.
She will arrive in Paris as the Grand Slam singles and doubles champion. She won her first major in New York in September by beating Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open singles final and last month added the French Open doubles title alongside Czech Katerina Siniakova.
The same clay courts at Roland Garros, where the French Open is being staged, will be the stage for tennis at Paris 2024. The draw for the tournament will take place on Thursday and the competition will begin on Saturday.
Gauff is currently number two in the world, equalling her career-best ranking behind Poland’s Iga Swiatek, and will be one of the favourites for the podium.
She and her regular doubles partner Jessica Pegula will be the top seeds in the doubles draw. Gauff may compete in mixed doubles, but those pairings have not yet been announced.
Source: AP
