Coco Gauff, the new world number two, is set to lead out a star-studded American tennis squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer.
She will be joined by the likes of Taylor Fritz, Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins and Tommy Paul, to name just a few, and there is real hope that any one of these prospects could bring home a medal or two for the USA.
However, their chances certainly would have been further boosted had they been blessed with a wider selection pool, but unfortunately there were a few star names who actually ruled themselves out of contention.
Gauff has now broken her silence on the matter, opening up on those who are set to snub the event.
Coco Gauff reacts to American Olympics drop-outs
The full American Olympics tennis team is as follows: ‘The women’s team is made up of singles world No. 2 Gauff, No. 5 Jessica Pegula, No. 11 Danielle Collins, No. 17 Emma Navarro, and doubles No. 11 Desirae Krawczyk, and will be coached by Kathy Rinaldi, the USTA’s head of women’s tennis.
‘Gauff, Pegula, Collins and Navarro will play singles, while Gauff and Pegula, and Collins and Krawczyk, will play doubles.
‘The men’s team consists of singles world No. 12 Fritz, No. 13 Tommy Paul, No. 44 Chris Eubanks, No. 53 Marcos Giron, and doubles No. 6 Rajeev Ram and No. 15 Austin Krajicek.
‘Fritz, Paul, Eubanks and Giron play singles, while Ram and Krajicek, and Fritz and Paul, will play doubles.’
However, stars like Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, Sebastian Korda and Madison Keys, despite qualifying for the event through their singles ranking, opted out.
Gauff explained why she couldn’t turn the chance down: ‘For me, it was always a yes, since 2020 basically, if I had the chance to qualify but I understand the reasonings of other players, why they prefer to prioritise their health. The schedule is hectic. I don’t think I will regret it after but Toronto and Cincinnati will probably be interesting for me, with all the clay, grass, hard in such a short amount of time.’
A dramatic surface change that could be really dangerous
As Gauff briefly touches upon, the reasoning behind these big-name absentees, which join a list already consisting of players like Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur, is largely health-related.
After all, having only just transitioned from clay to grass, it doesn’t make much sense to then return to clay before the hard courts return.
Hard court is widely regarded as the toughest on the body, given the hefty impact of each step and strike, and whilst clay eases that burden with the opportunity to slide, the lengthened rallies take their fair share of a physical toll as well.
Not to mention the stresses and unpredictability of grass, which can cause plenty of nasty slips and falls too.
Each surface has its own risks, and rapidly changing between the two maximises them all.
It is understandable why some therefore might opt out of the Olympics, which will be played at Roland Garros in Paris this year.
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