Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula are set to join forces for the upcoming season, and they have appeared on the entry list for the 2024 Australian Open doubles tournament.
World No. 5 Pegula has previously hinted that they may not be playing doubles as a team after the 2024 Paris Olympics. Pegula will turn 30 in a few months, and understandably, she wants to make the most of her final peak and win as much as she can on a singles court.
Meanwhile, Gauff has been ranked in the world's Top 10 in singles for over a year and replaced Pegula as the top-ranked American woman in the rankings thanks to her sensational US Open win last September.
Even though Gauff is ten years younger than her compatriot, she will put her sights on cementing her place as the best singles player. In that case, doubles tennis is unlikely to be a high priority.
However, the first half of the season remains a very important phase, considering the two players are chasing a first-ever Grand Slam doubles title. Both have been co-ranked as World No. 1 as recently as September.
They have won five career titles in doubles as a team, two of which came in 2023 (Doha and Miami). They qualified for the WTA Finals doubles competition for a second season in a row but narrowly missed a semifinal spot.
With the release of the entry list for the 2024 Australian Open doubles tournament, they have been confirmed as the top-seeded team in the event. The two Americans will also contest the singles showpiece in Melbourne, which will kick off on January 14, 2024.
Pegula is set to start her new campaign at the United Cup, where the United States will bid to defend their crown from last season. Meanwhile, Gauff will embark on her own title defense at the low-key WTA 250 event in Auckland, New Zealand.