Coco Gauff triumphed in the women’s doubles at the French Open in June.
Team USA’s Olympic team is looking undeniably strong despite some high-profile absentees including Frances Tiafoe and Madison Keys.
American sensation Coco Gauff is making her debut at the Olympics in Paris having been forced to pull out of Tokyo 2020 after contracting covid-19.
The clay court phenomenon made superb ground at the French Open in June, winning her first major doubles titles with Katerina Siniakova after being denied by Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals of the singles.
While Sam Querrey and Rennae Stubbs predicted Team USA’s mixed-doubles teams on Tuesday, Taylor Fritz surprisingly got the nod ahead of the two male doubles specialists on the roster, Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek.
What do Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz’s doubles records look like?
Gauff is seeded second in the women’s singles and doubles, and will partner Jessica Pegula whom she’s won several doubles titles with already.
Fritz on the other hand is a relative newbie to the team events, only having played nine doubles matches this year, winning five.
While he reached the final of Queen’s partnering Karen Khachanov, Fritz is ranked 159th in the doubles, whereas Gauff sits in 13th, having previously occupied the number one spot in 2022.
Fritz has lost 56 out of his 104 career doubles matches, giving him a win rate of just 46%, while Gauff however has won 17 out of her 23 doubles matches this year, with an overall career win rate of 69% (139-63) and nine career titles to her name.
Bearing in mind Gauff is six years younger than Fritz, she already holds a far superior record in the doubles and will come in the far more experienced.
Is Taylor Fritz really the best option to partner Gauff?
The pair are seeded third and face another new pairing in Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik and Elena Rybakina.
Team USA is not thin on doubles talent which makes Fritz’s selection as Gauff’s partner all the more confusing.
Roland Garros, where the Olympic tennis is taking place, is where Fritz has his poorest form, having never reached beyond the fourth round.
Rio 2016 featured an all-American final with Jack Sock and Bethanie Mattek-Sands defeating compatriots Venus Williams and Ram.
Ram is a doubles veteran with six major titles, including five quarter-final appearances at the French Open in the men’s doubles, and a semi-final in the mixed event.
His doubles partner for the upcoming games Krajicek, also has far better form on the clay having won the men’s event at the French Open in 2023.
With the draw relatively open, only time will tell if Team USA have made the right call.
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