Coco Gauff is not picking among the three events she's participating in at the 2024 Paris Olympics; she wants to win all three.
The 20-year-old arrived in Paris very excited. Not only was she back in one of her favorite cities in the world, but she was also taking part in her first Olympic Games, something she couldn't do three years ago.
She also came with a lot of expectations, and she shared some of those with the media. Gauff wants to win every competition she is playing in, and that means the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.
As a singles player, Gauff maybe naturally prioritizes the singles, but that's not how the American looks at things. She plays singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, and all three are important to her.
Of course, the singles likely have the most meaning to her, but she is in three competitions and wants to win three medals. It's unlikely to happen, but if one player could do it, then she could certainly do it.
Gauff has been a standout in both singles and doubles for a long time. She won Roland Garros in doubles this year, so it's not like it would be anything new to her.
It's her first Olympic experience as well, so she is generally quite motivated to do well. We heard her admit a few weeks ago that she wants a gold medal badly, so don't doubt that she's eyeing it in all three competitions she's playing.
"People in the (athletes) village are asking: ‘Oh, how many do you need to win? ’m like, ‘I don’t know. I’m in three events, and I want to win all of them.’"
Many have pointed out before the event that Gauff is among those players expected to do really well. She is one of the best players in singles, seeded second, and likely a finalist if everything goes according to plan.
She is also a really strong doubles player and has experience playing with Jessica Pegula for a very long time. She's also got a chance in mixed doubles with Taylor Fritz, as they're a very strong team on paper.
Fritz has a powerful serve, is pretty tall, and has some good shot-making ability, which can make him a dangerous player in doubles. For Gauff, the start so far at the Olympics has been great.
She won her first two singles matches very easily, and her opening doubles match as well. The latter happened first, and Gauff was more nervous for that match than the singles because of a few reasons.
Not everything in doubles is under a player's direct control, and it was the first match she played at the event.
"I’m not going to lie: I was more nervous in doubles than singles. I don’t know why. I think it’s just because it was the first match. And I think when you start off a tournament with a win, especially one like this, it just gives you more confidence."
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