"Am I dreaming?" - Coco Gauff reacts to becoming first tennis player and youngest athlete to be Team USA's flag bearer at Paris Olympics 2024
Coco Gauff is set to create history as the youngest athlete and first tennis player to be Team USA's flag bearer at an Olympics. The young tennis star was elated with the announcement that she and NBA star LeBron James would be Team USA's flag bearers at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Gauff was scheduled to make her Olympics debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games, but she had to withdraw due to a positive covid test. She has now arrived in Paris in high spirits.
The 2023 US Open winner showed off her American-themed braids and nail art before taking to the Roland Garros grounds, where she will take part in the singles and women's doubles events.
Moreover, Coco Gauff in collaboration with the US women's tennis team even posted a lighthearted 'attitude check' video on TikTok inspired by the US women's gymnastics team.
Her exuberance received a further boost on July 24 when she was announced as the female flag bearer of Team USA. The 20-year-old will be joined by the male flag bearer LeBron James.
Gauff, the WTA World No. 2, took to her Instagram stories to react to the news. She reposted two posts from Team USA's Instagram account - one announcing her as one of the flag bearers, and the other about her achievement of becoming the first US tennis player to be selected as a flag bearer.
"What an honor... Thank you," she captioned her first story.
"Am I dreaming?" she captioned her second story.
Coco Gauff set to achieve her childhood dream of playing at the Olympics at Paris 2024
At 17, Coco Gauff was distraught not to be able to play the Olympic Games in Tokyo. However, at 20, she is in Paris to make her Olympic dream come true.
During the Australian Open this year, Gauff mentioned that she had written in her 'vision note' to win a medal at the upcoming Olympics. She referred to that in a recent letter she wrote to her 17-year-old self which was posted on NBC Olympics.
"In your phone under your vision notes, you wrote that you want to win a medal at the Olympics. Gold, silver, bronze – it doesn’t matter. But you’ve already won, you’ve made your childhood dream of playing at the Olympics, representing the United States, a real reality. And now, finally, you get to enjoy it," Gauff wrote.
Gauff also said she hopes to carry the legacy of her 'friend' and 'mentor' Serena Williams into the upcoming Olympics. Williams is one of the most decorated tennis players at the Olympics with four gold medals.