Coco Gauff pens letter to her 17-year-old self

Ahead of the Olympics, Gauff wrote a letter to her 17-year-old self, where she spoke of the “stream of tears” after Covid ruined her Tokyo 2020 plans.

She went on to write about the honour of representing her country, and spoke of her friendship with “idol” and four-time Olympic champion Serena Williams.

“While tennis is an individual sport, you relish the relationships with your teammates. You’ve been lucky enough that your on-court relationships have turned into off-court friendships,” Gauff wrote.

“One of those notable friendships is with your idol, Serena Williams. Serena was once just a stranger printed on a poster hanging in your room, and now you still can’t believe she’s a friend and mentor. Her profound impact on tennis, what it means to be a champion and to break barriers is a legacy you hope to uphold and carry with you into your first Olympic Games.

“So, I’ll spoil the story for you – you do get to finally play at your first Olympic Games in Paris. The excitement is overwhelming. You can’t wait to travel with your teammates, to take on the Olympic tennis tournament and hopefully increase the United States’ medal count that you continually check each Olympics.

“Besides the battle on the court, be sure to enjoy the whole experience outside the confines of Roland-Garros. There will be athletes from across the world that you admire that you will have the opportunity to connect with. You can learn about new sports that have nothing to do with a baseline, backhand or the world of tennis.

“In your phone under your vision notes, you wrote that you want to win a medal at the Olympics. Gold, silver, bronze – it doesn’t matter. But you’ve already won, you’ve made your childhood dream of playing at the Olympics, representing the United States, a real reality. And now, finally, you get to enjoy it.”

Coco Gauff’s schedule at Paris 2024

The draw for the Olympic tournament will be held on Thursday (25 July).

Please see below Coco Gauff’s potential matches and route to the finals.

Women’s singles

• 27-28 July: First round
• 29 July: Second round
• 30 July: Third round
• 31 July: Quarter-finals
• 1 August: Semi-finals
• 2 August: Bronze medal match
• 3 August: Gold medal match

Women’s doubles

• 27-28 July: First round
• 29-30 July: Second round
• 31 July: Quarter-finals
• 1 August: Semi-finals
• 4 August: Bronze and Gold medal matches

Mixed doubles

• 29-30 July: First round
• 31 July: Quarter-finals
• 1 August: Semi-finals
• 2 August: Bronze and Gold medal matches

The full tennis schedule at Paris 2024 is available to view in full here.

How to watch tennis live at Paris 2024

All the action from Paris 2024, including tennis, can be watched via media rights holders (MRHs).

MRHs include NBC in the United States, Nine in Australia, Globo in Brazil, CBC in Canada, CCTV in People’s Republic of China, Fuji TV/NHK/Nippon TV/TBS/TV Asahi/TV Tokyo in Japan, SKY NZ in New Zealand, SuperSport in South Africa, and Discovery Eurosport across Europe, alongside France Télévisions in France, ARD/ZDF in Germany, and BBC Sport in the United Kingdom, among others.

Check listings in other regions for your local broadcaster.