Coco Gauff has admitted that she was surprised to be chosen as Team USA’s female flagbearer for the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony, and becoming the first tennis player to carry the flag during the traditional opening of the games and she added that she was terrified to meet male flagbearer Lebron James.
The reigning US Open champion was aware that a tennis player had never carried the flag and never dreamt that she would get the opportunity.
Paris 2024 will be Gauff’s very first taste of the Olympics after she missed Tokyo following a positive COVID-19 test on the eve of the games.
“There has never been a tennis player before and I just didn’t think I would be that player,” Gauff said.
She said that she wanted to burst into tears immediately after learning that she would perform the flagbearer role.
“I wanted to cry when I found out,” Gauff admitted at a press conference in Paris, “but my whole team was there so I went in a corner and did it.”
The US women’s No 1 is an avid user of TikTok but isn’t sure that she would be able to bring up the social media conversation in her first ever meeting with the basketball superstar.
When asked if she planned to record a TikTok with James, Gauff replied: “I haven’t met him yet so I don’t think I’ll have the confidence to do that.
“But my team is really nagging me about getting pins from him so I will try to ask him for pins for my team and my captain, but I don’t know, I’m kind of scared.
“I’m literally going in blind. I’ve been looking at pictures of other opening ceremonies but I don’t think anyone has ever done it on a boat so I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.
“I just hope I don’t drop it and I hope it’s not too high.
“And I hope it’s not too hot. Those are the only two things I’ve been thinking about the most,” Gauff laughed.
She was honoured to have been chosen as flagbearer by her fellow athletes and got the news in the form of a surprise revealed by Christopher Eubanks during Team USA’s Welcome Experience.
Writing on X Gauff shared: “I just want to say thank you to my fellow team usa [sic] Olympians/athletes for voting and choosing me for this incredible honor to be the flag bearer for the opening ceremony.”
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