Coco Gauff's mother Candi and father Corey share their joy as American creates history at Paris Olympics 2024 after flag-bearer honor
Coco Gauff’s parents, Candi and Corey, expressed their joy at their daughter being chosen as Team USA's flag bearer for the upcoming Paris Olympics. NBA star Lebron James will join Gauff as a flag bearer in the opening ceremony on July 26.
Gauff was scheduled to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, she had to withdraw as she tested positive for COVID-19 at the time.
Three years later, the American is set to make her Olympics debut as the second seed in the singles tournament. Additionally, she will make history by becoming the youngest athlete and the first tennis player to carry the U.S. flag during the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
Gauff's recent achievements prompted her parents to celebrate by sharing Team USA's official Instagram post that highlighted their daughter's recent achievement.
Five-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA player Sue Bird, along with 2014 Olympic silver medalist, Eddy Alvarez were USA's flagbearers in the Opening Ceremony of the previous Olympics held in Tokyo.
Coco Gauff expresses her goal of winning a medal at the Paris Olympics 2024
During her Italian Open campaign earlier this year, Coco Gauff told the media that winning at the Olympics was a "top priority" for her on par with the Grand Slam tournaments. The American also said that she would try to get a medal for her country.
"For me, the Olympics is a top priority. I would say equal to the Grand Slams. I wouldn't put it above or below just because I've never played before. This is my first time. Obviously, I always want to do well, try to get a medal. Yeah, I mean, but the prep is going to be interesting because I've never done the grass-to-clay transition before," Gauff said.
Coco Gauff added that she plans to embrace the experience without overloading herself with pressure.
I'm not putting too much pressure on it because I really want to fully indulge in the experience. Hopefully I can have the experience multiple times in my lifetime. I'll treat it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience," she added.
Tennis at the Summer Games will be played on the clay courts of Roland Garros and will begin on Saturday, July 27. Gauff will represent her country alongside Danielle Collins, Emma Navarro, Jessica Pegula, and Desirae Krawczyk in the women's team.
Moreover, the USA's men's tennis team consists of Chris Eubanks, Tommy Paul, Rajeev Ram, Austin Krajicek, Marcos Giron, and Taylor Fritz.