Billie Jean King reacts after Coco Gauff is named USA’s co-flag bearer for the Olympics

Follow us on Google Discover

Tennis legend Billie Jean King shared her reaction to Coco Gauff being named as the co-flag bearer for Team USA at the Paris Olympic Games.

The World number two was left stunned when team colleague Christopher Eubanks informed her of the honour.

The rest of the US tennis Olympic team were present to congratulate the 20-year-old and she was presented with a special white jacket to wear on the day she will carry the flag.

Gauff will carry the American flag at the Olympics opening ceremony on Friday alongside NBA icon LeBron James.

What did Billie Jean King say about Coco Gauff being the USA Olympic co-flag bearer?

Many have congratulated Gauff on being selected as Team USA’s co-flag bearer, including Billie Jean King.

In September 2023 the 12-time Grand Slam singles champion presented Gauff with the US Open trophy after she defeated Aryna Sabalenka in three exciting sets.

She took to social media platform X to send a message to her compatriot who is he first tennis player to be selected as a USA flag bearer at the Olympic Games.

“Cheers to @CocoGauff, who has been named Team USA’s women’s flag bearer for the 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony,” King wrote. “She is the first tennis player to receive the honour in U.S. history.”

Coco Gauff leads a US tennis team hungry for success at the Paris Olympic Games

Gauff is the top seeded player in a women’s Olympic US tennis team that includes her women’s doubles partner, Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins, Emma Navarro and Desirae Krawczyk, who will compete solely in doubles.

Gauff is set to play in the mixed doubles event with Taylor Fritz, who is part of the men’s US tennis team along with Eubanks, Tommy Paul, Marcos Giron and the doubles pair of Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek.

Many of the players on Team USA are competing in the Olympics for the first time, including Gauff who was unable to compete at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

Along with her teammates Gauff will try to win USA’s first women’s singles gold medal in tennis since Serena Williams in 2012, while the men are trying to win America’s first singles gold since Andre Agassi back in 1996.