“Am I dreaming?” – said Coco Gauff when she heard the news of being one of the flag bearers for Team USA at the Paris Olympics.  She’ll join basketball superstar, LeBron James in the opening ceremony. This is the first time that an American tennis player has been named as a flag bearer at the Olympics. While happy for the tennis representation, fans are confused about Gauff’s entry in mixed doubles at the Games.

Serena Williams was the last American to win an Olympic gold medal in women’s singles (London Olympics- 2012). Can she carry the legacy of her “friend” and “mentor” in this upcoming Paris Olympics? Time will tell, but her excitement to finally make it through to the Summer Olympics has notched up further with these latest updates.

She missed the Tokyo Olympics due to COVID-19 and now after getting this special opportunity Gauff said, “I never thought in a million years I would have the honor of carrying the American flag for Team USA in the opening ceremony.” She also added that she couldn’t be more proud to lead her teammates with LeBron James.

However, her participation in the mixed doubles has recently stirred up a fair bit of controversy in the tennis world. As per the latest reports, she’s all set to team up with Taylor Fritz at the mixed doubles. Sixteen mixed doubles pairs have already been announced, and the event will commence from 29 July. This is in fact the first time that Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz will be featured at the stage. Here’s what the fans have to say about this selection.

Fans aren’t too pleased with the decision of Coco Gauff to take part in all three events at the Paris Olympics

The 30-year-old American doubles specialist, Nicole Melichar-Martinez, recently put up a tweet stating, “Disappointed to hear @desiraekrawczyk was not selected by the @usta to play in mixed doubles at the @Olympics. No one has earned their spot in mixed more than she has based on her mixed performances…” On hearing this, some of the fans questioned Gauff’s pick in the mixed doubles and stated, “The USTA hasn’t been selecting players on merit for years…” For those who are unaware, Desirae Krawczyk is a four-time major champion in mixed doubles!

On the other hand, Coco Gauff’s major successes have all come in the singles and doubles. In singles, the 2023 US Open champion is currently ranked world number 2, while in doubles she has also been ranked number in the past. Recently she also won, the French Open title in doubles, but in mixed doubles, her best record was reaching the SF of the Wimbledon in 2022. When renowned journalist Jose Morgado asked the fans to pick one between Gauff and Krawczyk, one fan wrote, “Absolutely Desiree. She’s a doubles specialist, and Coco already has two opportunities to win medals.“

Having fresh legs in the mixed doubles would definitely add a fair bit of advantage to the team, but they came up with a surprise! Was it really a surprise though? Recently, 22-time Grand Slam doubles champion Mike Bryan was heard saying, “She’s (Coco Gauff) going to be good on the clay, I think that’s maybe one of her favorite surfaces, so I think she’s got something to prove. I think she’s playing mixed doubles, doubles, and singles, so she’s got a lot of options to do well.” So it wasn’t too surprising for some!

However, fans think, “Personally, I’m picking Krawczyk. Coco is already playing singles and women’s doubles. It would be good to have some fresh legs in mixed, and it’s a mixed doubles slam champion at that.“

Desirae Krawczyk has vast experience in playing doubles. Do you know she has a career-high doubles ranking of world number 8? She has a record of reaching at least one final in all four major tournaments in the mixed doubles. Krawczyk won the French Open mixed doubles in 2021. Looking at all these records, some of the fans believe, “Krawczyk by a mile. More experience in the field and a 4-time mixed doubles slam champion.” They completely refrained from picking Gauff in the mixed doubles!

During the Australian Open this year, Gauff revealed that she had written herself a ‘vision note’. It’s about her winning a medal at the Paris Olympics. So, she set her goals long ago, and seeing her getting desperate to land a few Olympic medals in her trophy cabinet from this mega event, fans opine, “US has a lot of good players and this happens It is too bad, but Gauff wants a medal and is going for every opportunity.” If Coco Gauff wins medals in these three events, she’ll become a ‘Superhero’ for her nation, but what if she fails?