Coco Gauff shares ambitious medal plan for Paris 2024 Olympics

Coco Gauff has big plans for 2024. And the Paris Olympics are at the top of her list.

The 2023 US Open tennis champion is hoping to win several medals in the French capital. 

"One of the goals I wrote down on my vision thing, vision note, in my phone, was to win a medal in the Olympics," the 19-year-old told reporters ahead of her commanding 6-3, 6-0 opening round victory over Anna Karolína Schmiedlová at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Coco, who usually plays singles and doubles throughout the season, eyes participation in all three events in Paris: Singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles, to maximise her dream of winning gold.

"Ideally, I would want to play all three. 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," Gauff stated.

The dynamic American, fresh off successfully defending her title at the Auckland Open, emphasised her eagerness and motivation to triumph at the Paris Games.

"I'll be completely honest; I don't really care what event it is in. I feel like gold, silver, or bronze, whatever medal it is, is one of those things; it doesn't matter," Gauff explained.

"Well, it does matter. Obviously, I want to win in singles. I feel like I would appreciate it just as much, whether it was in singles or doubles. It's not the same to me as a Slam, I guess, in a way. I just put 'I want a medal at any of the events'," she added.

Who will be the mixed doubles partner of Coco Gauff?

To qualify for the Olympics, the top four female tennis players from the United States are selected based on their rankings in the WTA singles after the French Open, held in early June. Gauff is currently ranked No. 4 in the world and the top-ranked American player, making her a strong contender for the Olympic Games.

Coco and her fellow top-five member Jessica Pegula are in prime position to qualify for the women's doubles event. In 2022, the duo made it to the finals of the French Open. Last year they reached the semifinals at Roland Garros. 

A nation can send two women's doubles teams and one mixed doubles pair to the Games. 

Gauff's dream to medal in all three Olympic events has not been achieved since the reintroduction of mixed doubles in 2012. After withdrawing from Tokyo 2021 due to COVID-19, Gauff sees Paris 2024 as her chance to leave her mark, and she is open to collaborating with any suitable partner, especially in mixed doubles.

"I honestly haven't, like, really reached out' to any men about playing Olympic mixed doubles," Gauff said. "I don't know if anyone's reached out to me unless they've D.M.'d me, which I haven't seen. Jess already plays with Austin, so I imagine I'm going to play with Rajeev (Ram) if he wants to play. I'd have to look. Last year was two mixed teams, last Olympics, but I don't know if it's the same thing. It would be pretty cool. I would be happy to play with whoever. I'll try my best to hold my side of the court."