Who Is Coco Gauff? Meet the Tennis Sensation Selected as U.S. Olympic Flag Bearer

Tennis player Coco Gauff was chosen as the female flag bearer to represent the United States in the Olympic opening ceremony’s Parade of Nations. Since the selection was announced, people have been excited to learn more about the athlete.

Who Is Olympian Coco Gauff?

Coco was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2004, and was already on a tennis court by the time she was 6 years old. She and her family eventually moved to Delray Beach, Florida, to give Coco more opportunities to pursue a career in tennis.

Coco won her first professional match at the age of 14 in 2018 when she played at Osprey. Since then, she’s won seven career singles titles, including the 2023 U.S. Open, and nine career doubles titles.

Coco Gauff was Forced to Withdraw From the Tokyo Olympics in 2021

The Georgia native was forced to withdraw from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (which was held in August 2021 due to the pandemic) just days before she was set to leave for Japan after she tested positive for COVID-19. However, she previously told reporters that she had big plans for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"One of the goals I wrote down on my vision thing, vision note, in my phone, was to win a medal in the Olympics," Coco said after her win over Anna Karolína Schmiedlová at the Australian Open in January 2024, per the Olympics official website.

Coco continued, "Ideally, I would want to play all three [events at the Paris Olympics]. We'll have to see where I fall in the lineup ranking-wise and all of that. That definitely is a priority. The Olympics have been a priority in both singles and doubles."

Coco Gauff Will Share Flag Bearing Duties With LeBron James

The tennis pro opened up about her reaction when she learned she received the honor. In a video shared by Today on July 24, 2024, viewers could see Coco cover her mouth in shock when she was presented with the official Olympic jacket that athletes wear during the opening ceremonies.

“I was completely shocked. It never would have crossed my mind. I have no words, honestly,” Coco said when she joined Today hosts Savannah Guthrie , Hoda Kotb and Craig Melvin via livestream from Paris. “It made me cry. I didn’t want to cry in front of my teammates, but when I called my mom, I started crying. I think it’s even more special — even now I get emotional thinking about it — that so many incredible people just think that I’m worthy of this. It means a lot, truly.”

Coco will be joined by LeBron James during the Parade of Nations, and she said she was excited to talk with the NBA star.

“He DM’ed me once on Instagram with words of encouragement and congratulations but I’ve never actually met him," Coco said. "I’ve seen him in person at a bunch of Miami Heat games when I was a kid, and some recent games. But I’ve never actually met him. So this is a cool circumstance to be meeting him and I guess I’ll actually get to know him a little bit.”