Coco Gauff is a history maker, and she could once again prove her title at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris are first for the young American. She should have competed at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, which were held in 2021, but COVID-19, because of which the Olympics were postponed, stopped her.
Playing at the Olympics this year was very emotional for Gauff. To make the experience even more memorable, she was named the flag bearer for the United States alongside LeBron James, becoming the youngest American ever to do so.
Her start at the Olympic was also superb. In the women's doubles, she started with a convincing win with Jessica Pegula, beating Ellen Perez and Daria Saville from Australia 6-3, 6-1 to reach the second round of the competition.
In the singles tournament, Gauff lost even one game less when beating yet another Australian, Ajla Tomljanovic, 6-3, 6-0, to reach round two of the singles competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
But those two competitions are not the only ones in which the 20-year-old competes. She will also play in the mixed doubles tournament, teaming up with Taylor Fritz, and in the first round of the tournament, the American pairing will take on Nadia Podoroska and Maximo Gonzalez from Argentina. Ahead of the event, she felt confident in their qualities.
"Taylor and I did a mini practice. I think what he likes about both of our games is we both have good serves in our respective fields."
"I’ve played doubles a little bit more than him, so I maybe can do a little bit more, but I’m a singles player. So I think the biggest thing we wanted to focus on was serving and returns and I think we do that both quite well."
The two even joked around on social media. When Fritz found out about Gauff's flag-bearer duty, he joked that the 20-year-old wouldn't be carrying just the flag, but also their team in the mixed doubles.
"Coco Gauff carrying the flag and me this week."
Gauff returned the compliment, saying that it will be Fritz who will be carrying their pairing to glory in the French capital.
"Thanks but it will be the other way."
And it may be that competition that might bring Gauff the ultimate glory, as competing in all three tennis events at the Olympics is very rare for athletes, especially since the mixed doubles tournament hasn't been a part for too long.
In 2012, Serena Williams dominated the Olympic Games in London, winning both in singles and doubles with her sister Venus, but she didn't compete in the mixed doubles competition.
In fact, no player has ever won all three tennis events at the Olympics before, and Gauff has a real shot at this never-done-before feat, given her qualities in all three competitions.
She's the World No. 2 player in singles on the WTA Tour, and arguably, she's the second-biggest favorite, only behind Iga Swiatek, to win the gold medal. She won't meet Swiatek before the final, which increases her chances even more, as the Pole has a bit more difficult draw.
On top of that, she's the former World No. 1 in doubles, and with Pegula, they are the top-seeded team in Paris, which once again, on the paper, puts them into the role of the biggest favorites in the women's doubles competition.
In the mixed doubles, Gauff and Fritz are 'only' the third-seeded team, but once again, they are among those that should make it to the medal games, given Gauff's doubles qualities and Fritz's powerful game.
The 20-year-old American, therefore, has a real shot at achieving this very rare feat, and even if she doesn't win a gold medal in every competition, she could become the first player to win any medal in every tennis event at the Olympics.
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