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Patriotic Coco Gauff Puts Personal Ambitions on Backseat as American Glory Becomes ‘Top Priority’ Ahead of Olympics

Published 05/07/2024, 11:29 AM EDT

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Coco Gauff is currently polishing her tennis skills to debut at the Paris Olympics. The tennis star has been struggling with her singles career with just one to her name in 2024, although doubles is where she hopes to shine in the summer. Holding the baton of expectations for America, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula are expected to represent the country at the Paris Olympics 2024. While Grand Slams are important to the World No. 3, the Olympics demand more importance right now.

“For me, the Olympics is a top priority,” Gauff said, highlighting the importance of the event that kicks off in July. Setting priorities for the upcoming tournament, the US Open champion mentioned how she views the glorious event. “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,” she added, revealing her goals.

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Considering the fact that she’s currently struggling to keep up with her levels in clay court competitions, Gauff also mentioned how it is going to be a potential challenge for her. “The prep is going to be interesting because I’ve never done the grass-to-clay transition before,” she explained, simply viewing it as a new road to explore on her professional journey.

Interestingly, Gauff and Pegula’s doubles plans have fallen off the wagon in recent weeks. An injured Pegula has withdrawn from the Italian Open after already missing out in Madrid. Taylor Townsend came to Gauff’s rescue there with the duo reaching the QF in doubles. In Rome, the 20-year-old Gauff is expected to team up with New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe, and Jessica Pegula has stated that she might not even make it to Roland Garros this year. What of the Olympics?

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Nevertheless, Coco Gauff remains determined to participate, looking forward to securing a medal. The young WTA star is coping with the pressure of being a debutant and looking forward to working on her own. However, this wasn’t the first time when Gauff revealed her desire to win a medal for the country.

Coco Gauff reads her phone’s vision note out loud

The discussions around Coco Gauff’s participation in the upcoming Olympics have been the talk of the town. During the season’s initial tournament in Auckland where the 20-year-old stunned Elina Svitolina to win her only title of the year, Gauff also indulged in a conversation where she revealed her goals for the upcoming Olympics.

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“One of the goals I wrote down on my vision thing, vision note, in my phone, was to win a medal in the Olympics,” she said, mentioning that it was a dream stored in her virtual diary for a long time. Along with that, Gauff also stated that she’s focused on all three categories of the event. “Ideally, I would want to play all three. We’ll have to see where I fall in the lineup ranking-wise and all of that,” she added.

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As the tennis star currently goes through the struggling phase of a major transition, it still remains to be seen if she will be able to get herself ready for the glorious event based on clay courts this time.

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Written by:

Akshay Kapoor

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Akshay Kapoor, a tennis writer at EssentiallySports, was born into a family that breathes Tennis and grew up watching the electrifying rallies of the legendary Rafael Nadal. Coming with a prior experience in Sports Journalism, he excels in crafting pieces that set new trends. His analytical skills riding on the back of certification in Digital Marketing help inject in-depth research as he covers the business undertakings of Tennis stars.
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Edited by:

Arunima Bhanot