Are Coco Gauff, Danielle Collins & co America's best shot at an Olympic gold medal in tennis since Serena Williams?
A star-studded American tennis line-up is set to travel to the 2024 Paris Olympics, hoping to end the country's medal drought in tennis. World No. 2 Coco Gauff will lead the team which carries high expectations for the quadrennial Games.
America has been one of the most successful nations at the Olympics, challenging for gold medals in every sport. However, the USA has not won a tennis medal at the Olympics since 2012, when Serena Williams won the gold medal in London. This year, the new generation of American stars seeks to continue her legacy in the French capital.
American tennis stars set to light up the Olympics led by Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff, Danielle Collins, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul are the confirmed names so far in the American tennis team set to travel to Paris. The team has a good mix of youth and experienced players, with each having shown the capability to beat opponents in some way or the other this season.
The Olympics are set to be played on the clay courts of Paris and Coco Gauff and Danielle Collins could use it to their advantage. Both the WTA stars have enjoyed their outings on the surface in 2024, performing well against top players.
Coco Gauff reached the semifinal of the French Open, where she was defeated by the eventual winner Iga Swiatek. The American impressed with her dominating displays and climbed to No. 2 on the world rankings. The 21-year-old also won her maiden doubles Grand Slam title with Katerina Siniakova at Roland-Garros.
Meanwhile, Danielle Collins won the title on clay in Charleston before following it up with a semifinal run at the Italian Open. The World No. 11 even reached the final at Strasbourg but failed against Madison Keys at the final hurdle. With both their women stars in fine form, team USA could be set for a successful outing in Paris.
In the men's sport, Ben Shelton has pulled out from the Olympics due to a 'hectic schedule'. The southpaw would have been an 'X-factor' with his big serving game and impressive forehand. The responsibility has now shifted onto the shoulders of Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul to deliver for Team USA. Christopher Eubanks is the favourite to replace Ben Shelton in the team but there has been no confirmation about that yet.
Can the new generation of American stars deliver a first Olympic gold since Serena Williams?
Serena Williams was the American flag bearer for tennis in the last two decades. The 23-time Grand Slam champion won four Olympic gold medals, which is jointly the most any American won in the sport with her sister Venus Williams, who won a silver too.
Serena Williams won her first Olympic gold medal in doubles with her sister in Sydney in 2000. She followed it up with another doubles gold at Beijing in 2008, before winning the singles and doubles gold medals in London in 2012.
Americans' wait since 2012 to win another medal could come to an end in 2024, with a high possibility of American tennis stars winning an Olympic medal again in Paris.
If Team USA were to win a medal, Coco Gauff would be the favourite to deliver it. The 20-year-old is amongst the best players in the world and would be the likeliest source of American success in Paris. Despite her failure to win the French Open, Coco Gauff has proved that she has a game that suits the surface with her Roland Garros final run in 2022, before the semifinal run this year.
Danielle Collins could be a strong contender too given her recent run of form. Despite her French Open disappointment, the 30-year-old has performed consistently enough over the last couple of months to be considered a threat at the Games. With this set to be her last Olympics appearance, Collins is sure to be extra motivated to make an impression.
The main challenge for these American stars will be to beat Iga Swiatek on clay. The World No. 1 has quickly made the surface her own and beating her at the Olympics would all but guarantee a medal for Gauff and Collins. Another important factor for them is the withdrawal of Aryna Sabalenka from the Olympics, making the draw easier for the American duo.
Tommy Paul could be a potential dark-horse in the men's section which is set to be dominated by Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Rafael Nadal has confirmed his participation too, making it tougher for the American men's brigade.
With their fairly rare opportunity to represent the USA on the global stage, the American tennis stars will be keen to impress. The star-studded line-up will head to Paris full of optimism and 2024 could finally be the year that the United States ends its medal drought in tennis at the Olympics.