Coco Gauff will lose a substantial part of her points as a result of her participation at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 20-year-old American got to the World No. 2 spot on the WTA Tour, but her World No. 1 chances are not looking very bright at the moment. She earned the majority of her points last year during an incredible summer, which included winning the Citi Open in Washington, the Cincinnati Open, and the US Open.
This year, she added more points to her tally, and that, with some shaky performances from Aryna Sabalenka, ensured that Gauff rose to the World No. 2 spot, which she managed to keep ever since.
Yet, that may be changing in the upcoming weeks. Gauff will have to defend 3,370 points over the following couple of months, and she won't be able to defend a part of those points.
Since this year is an Olympic year, the calendar had to be slightly adjusted, but that doesn't mean that there won't be ATP and WTA tournaments running during the Olympic Games, which will be held in Paris from July 27th to August 4th.
There are many players who won't compete at the Paris Olympics, including Gauff's main rival for the World No. 2 spot, Sabalenka, who will use this chance to close up to the American in the fight for that spot.
The 20-year-old's first big triumph last year was at the Citi Open in Washington, where she won a trophy, nice prize money cheque, and 470 WTA points. However, this year, she will not be able to defend her trophy.
The American chose to represent her country at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and since the tournament in Washington runs during the Olympic Games, from July 29th to August 4th, it was impossible for her to travel to D.C.
That means that until the Olympic Games, Gauff won't add any more points to her total, which now stands at 8,173. On top of that, she will lose those 470 points earned last year, brining down her total to 7,703 points.
As if things weren't bad enough for the American player, Sabalenka is set to compete at the 2024 Citi Open. The Belarusian is the only player ranked in the Top 10 that will compete in Washington, making her the favorite to win the tournament.
Due to the changes in the prize money distribution, the winner of the tournament this year won't get 'only' 470 points, but 30 points more, 500 precisely. That means, that over one week in Washington, Sabalenka will be able to close the gap on Gauff by 970 points, should she win the title.
She is already ensured to get closer by at least 470 points which the American will lose. Then, she can add to her points total, which stands at 7,061, and increase it all the way up to 7,561 points, only 142 points less than the World No. 2 player.
With Gauff's following title defense in Cincinnati (900 points), her chances for keeping the World No. 2 spot would look very bleak.
Still, the American player may finish the 2024 season as an Olympic medalist, and she would certainly trade that for the World No. 2 spot.
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