TRUE LEADERSHIP: “We can finish strong”. COCO rallies support for team America at Paris 2024 Olympics despite exit…

The dream of winning a medal at the Olympics ended on a sour note for American women tennis players this week, as they have all been eliminated from contention in the singles and doubles events at the Paris Olympic Games.

Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins, Emma Navarro and Desire Krawczyk have all lost their featured matches at the Olympic tennis events, which is being played on the clay courts of Roland Garros. This has been a poor showing for the American women, who will leave the Olympics without a medal for the second time in a row.

Gauff unable to channel Grand Slam success at Olympics
The 20-year old finished runner-up in the singles event at the 2022 French Open, and would go on to win the women’s doubles event at this year’s edition. Despite being proficient on the red clay, Gauff was unable to compete for a medal at the 2024 Olympic Games. Gauff entered the singles, doubles and mixed doubles events in search of a medal, but fell in the third round, second round and quarterfinals respectively.

Pegula, competing alongside Gauff after both won their maiden Grand Slam title as a doubles team at this year’s Roland Garros, fell in the second round to 2020 Olympics bronze medalist Elina Svitolina. Collins campaign came to an end when she fell in the quarterfinals in singles and teamed with Krawczyk but lost in the second round in doubles. Navarro lost in controversial final to China’s Qinwen Zheng, who would later defeat World No.1 Iga Swiatek to reach the final.

WTA legend Serena Williams remains the last woman to win a singles Olympic medal for the United States, capturing the gold medal in 2012. Williams, alongside sister Venus, also won the gold in women’s doubles at the same event. Madison Keys was the last American woman to enter the medal rounds, losing in the semifinals and subsequently the bronze medal match