A long time ago, Desirae Krawczyk put together a tennis bucket list. Like any other young aspiring professional athlete, she had a picture in her head of some grandiose things she wanted to one day accomplish.
A few years ago, after graduating from college at Arizona State, the Rancho Mirage native began ticking some of the boxes off that list.
Become a professional tennis player. Check.
Win a tournament title. Check.
Win a Grand Slam. Check.
Win multiple Grand Slams. Check.
This month, Krawczyk will accomplish yet another milestone in her professional tennis career by representing the Unites States in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 30-year-old doubles specialist is one of just five women playing tennis for the U.S. team. She’ll join Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins and Emma Navarro in wearing the red, white and blue on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
Krawczyk’s first match in the Olympics will be Saturday. The draw has not yet been released but matches are set to begin at 3 p.m. local time (6 a.m. PT).
“We found out a week or two after the French Open,” Krawczyk said. “I was really excited and of course I excepted to go.”
Coachella Valley resident Rosie Casals, an International Tennis Hall of Famer, said that Krawczyk’s selection is a credit to the tennis scene in the valley and the hard work that Krawczyk has put into her career.
“It’s an incredible honor to represent your country in the Olympics,” said Casals, a Palm Desert resident. “It’s great for Desirae. We’re all excited for her.”
Krawczyk, who graduated from Palm Desert High School in 2012, will team with Collins on one doubles team representing the U.S., with Gauff and Pegula teaming up on the other.
It’s currently undetermined who’ll represent the U.S. in mixed doubles, Krawczyk said, but her resume in mixed doubles makes her an obvious candidate. She won Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros and the U.S. Open, with Joe Salisbury of Great Britain, in 2021. She also won Wimbledon, with Great Britain’s Neal Skupski, in 2021 and 2022.
Krawczyk could team up with one of six American men in mixed doubles in Paris. That group includes Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Chris Eubanks, Marcos Giron, Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek.
“Obviously, I would love to play mixed doubles,” Krawczyk said. “It’s out of my hands. I don’t know how the selection process goes.”
Krawczyk has had success playing on clay courts in the past, and she’s had success playing with Collins, too. In addition to winning the French Open at Roland Garros in 2021, Krawczyk reached the finals in mixed doubles at Roland Garros this year, and she and Collins won a title together on the clay courts of the Charleston Open last year.
Krawczyk said that she has no idea what to expect out of the experience. It’s another first for her in her tennis career, which began as a junior player well before she began playing in high school.
She said that her family will not be in attendance, yet she hopes they will be watching from afar to see Krawczyk chase after an Olympic gold medal that she feels is within her grasp.
Casals said that, in her opinion, this is the best group of women that the Americans have sent to play tennis in the Olympics in maybe 20 years. It’s joining four other women in the quest for a medal that Krawczyk is looking forward to most.
“It’s a special thing,” Krawczyk. “It’s incredible. There’s nothing like it. I’m really excited because these don’t come around often, and nothing’s ever guaranteed.
“So, I’m going to soak it all in and really enjoy being there and do my best to win a gold.”
Andrew John covers professional tennis for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella Valley's Desirae Krawczyk will represent the United States in Paris Olympics
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