USA Tennis Olympics qualification watch: Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins & Madison Keys confirm their berths for Paris 2024
The tennis contingent of Team USA's women's singles for the 2024 Paris Olympics is now complete, with Coco Gauff leading the lineup. Paris Olympics will take place from July 26 to August 11.
The primary qualifying criteria for the singles tennis event at the 2024 Olympics is a player's standing in the ATP and WTA Rankings on June 10. Moreover, each country can nominate its four highest-ranked players to compete in the singles category. The 2024 French Open was the last chance for players to confirm their berth at the quadrennial sporting extravaganza.
Five American women were in strong contention for four spots in Team USA: World No. 3 Coco Gauff, World No. 5 Jessica Pegula, World No. 10 Danielle Collins, World No. 12 Madison Keys, and World No. 24 Emma Navarro. Except for Pegula, the other four competed at Roland Garros.
Coco Gauff, who had already booked her spot for the Paris Olympics in March, is still active at the 2024 French Open and will face Ons Jabeur in the quarterfinals. While Jessica Pegula has not competed at the professional level since early April, she also made it into the American team courtesy of her ranking.
Danielle Collins has been one of the best players in 2024, which is her last year in the WTA Tour, with titles at the WTA 1000 Miami Open, WTA 500 Charleston Open, and a runners-up finish at the WTA 500 Strasbourg Open. As a result, she has surged to the top 10 rankings and confirmed her place in Team USA's tennis contingent.
Madison Keys boosted her chances of making it into the team with a title win at the WTA 500 Strasbourg Open, but Emma Navarro had an outside chance of sneaking past Keys for the final spot with a terrific run at Roland Garros. Navarro was flawless in her straight-set wins against Zeynep Sonmez, Sara Errani, and Madison Keys to make it into the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.
However, Navarro's run ended in the fourth round against No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka, thus diminishing her hopes of making the Olympic team. Navarro would be the alternate if any of Gauff, Pegula, Collins, and Keys withdrew from the Games.
"Olympics is a top priority, equal to the Grand Slams" - Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff is eyeing a medal in her maiden campaign at the Olympic Games and giving the tournament equal importance as a Grand Slam. The 20-year-old qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Games but had withdrawn from the competition after contracting the coronavirus.
This year, though, she is in prime form and among the favorites to finish on the podium. Gauff opined that her preparation for the Olympics would be "interesting" given the scheduling. The Wimbledon Championships, a grass-court event, will be played from July 1 to 14, before the Paris Olympics, which will be played on clay courts.
"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," Coco Gauff told the press at 2024 Italian Open in early May.