30 American athletes to watch at the 2024 Paris Olympics

20. Coco Gauff
Tennis

Since she burst onto the scene as a teenager, Coco Gauff has drawn comparisons to some of the greatest players in tennis. The names she hears most are that of the Williams sisters, two of the greatest athletes of this generation. Serena is probably the best tennis player of all-time. Now, Gauff is living with these expectations. Just weeks after facing said expectations going into Wimbledon, she now sees herself as one of the most anticipated female athletes at the Olympics, representing the USA for the first time. 

Gauff was supposed to represent the red, white, and blue in 2021, but she tested positive for COVID-19 just days before she was set to go to Tokyo. Despite falling prior to the Wimbledon quarterfinals, she’s still the World No. 2 ranked tennis player. 

What’s interesting is tennis will be played at Roland Garros, home of the French Open. They famously are the only major played on a clay court, and it’s a unique detail for the 2024 Olympics. This is the first time tennis will be played on a clay court at the Olympics since Barcelona in 1992. Gauff won her first career doubles major on the court this year. She was paired with Jessica Pegula, which many assume would happen again here. 

Gauff has been getting better and better every year, as the 20-year-old is gaining more hardware and winning more tournaments including last year’s U.S. Open. However, representing the U.S.A. is a different animal. Doing it right after a disappointing loss at Wimbledon makes matters even tougher.