"Greatest shooter of all time"- Carlos Alcaraz, Naomi Osaka & Frances Tiafoe in awe of Steph Curry as USA take Paris Olympics men's basketball gold
Frances Tiafoe, Naomi Osaka, and Carlos Alcaraz celebrated Steph Curry's performance in the USA's fifth consecutive men's basketball Olympic gold in Paris. In the final against France, Curry's sensational performance helped the USA win 98-87.
The Bercy Arena in Paris witnessed the Golden State Warriors superstar's legendary shooting. In the semifinal against Serbia, Curry put up one of the greatest performances on the Olympic stage, scoring 36 points for his nation with nine threes.
In the final, on Saturday, August 10, the 36-year-old ended the night with 24 points. Half of those points came in the form of four three-pointers in just two minutes and 12 seconds. Although LeBron James won the MVP award, Curry won the hearts of multiple tennis stars.
Frances Tiafoe took to X and wrote:
"Steph Curry just left Earth……The greatest shooter of all time."
Naomi Osaka posted on X:
"That man Steph Curry."
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz posted a picture of Curry, James, and Kevin Durant together on his Instagram Stories. The trio likely played in their last Olympic Games and they will bow out with gold medals.
Curry, who has never participated in the Olympics before, was impressed with his performance in the final.
"Those last two and a half minutes were special, guys were hyping me up. Like I was saying before, every shot you take you think is going in. That (final one) was a solid flurry of shots. All I saw was the rim; I didn’t see who was in front of me... I impressed myself with that one, for sure," he said.
Cincinnati Open 2024: Frances Tiafoe, Carlos Alcaraz, and Naomi Osaka's 1R opponents
The hard court season has begun for many players as events are already underway. However, many top ATP and WTA stars have still not started their US Open preparations due to the Paris Olympics. As the Games have now concluded, the focus is shifting toward the New York Grand Slam and the events leading up to it.
Frances Tiafoe did not participate at the Olympics and played at the Citi Open, where he exited in the semifinals against Sebastian Korda. In the Canadian Open, Tiafoe was defeated by Alejandro Tabilo in straight sets in the first round. In Cincinnati, he will begin his campaign against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Naomi Osaka represented Japan at the Paris Olympics and began her US Open series with the Canadian Open. She defeated Ons Jabeur in straight sets but lost to Elise Mertens in the second round. At the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, she will face 11th seed Anna Blinkova in the first round.
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics and is yet to begin his US Open series. He will play in Cincinnati and as a second seed in the Masters 1000 event, he will receive a bye in the first round. The Spaniard will take on the winner between Gael Monfils and Alexei Popyrin in the second round.