Tennis stars generally start preparing for their trip to the United States soon after the grass court season ends. However, this year is set to mark a difference in the path, because of the Paris Olympics. To be held at the prestigious Roland Garros, the event has already started to set the stage, as both ATP and WTA stars prepare for another switch to clay. Amid the excitement, the authorities have dropped a new update, making it easier to grasp the intensity of the competition for players.
Scheduled to take place from July 26 to August 11, the seedings for the women’s singles tennis event have been revealed. On the list, Iga Świątek has been awarded the top spot. She earned this position because of her outstanding performance throughout the year, including massive wins in Madrid, Rome, and finally at Roland Garros. Świątek made her Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she reached the second round in singles and competed in doubles with Paula Kania-Choduń.
Moving ahead to the list, Coco Gauff secured the second seed. With her maiden doubles grand slam title at Roland Garros this year, the world no.2 is the bearer of countless hopes. Given how her Tokyo Olympics stint ended before it began, the young American is more than excited to have qualified for the 2024 version.
But more than that, the seeding will allow her another chance at revenge against the World No. 1, since their H2H record looks rather one-sided.
Their most recent clash came at Roland Garros in the semis, which ended much like the last 4 in Rome – Gauff left tasting the dust. But she will have a chance for revenge, to maybe repeat the freak Cincinnati Open win from last year. The American roster for the Olympics is stacked with WTA superstars like Danielle Collins, Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro and of course Gauff. Time to bring in some American glory!
Next on the list is Elena Rybakina, who a year full of ups and downs stands to be the third seed. She has a massive history at the prestigious event because of representing Kazakhstan in her Olympic debut in Tokyo. The WTA star graced her nation by making it to the quarterfinals in singles. Rybakina’s remarkable campaign earned her a silver medal from Kazakhstan’s Olympic Committee.
Jasmine Paolini, the runner-up at Roland Garros and Wimbledon is awarded the fourth seed. She also has a history of competing for Italy at the Tokyo Olympics, where she faced a challenging first-round match against Petra Kvitová.
The remaining seeded players include Zheng, Sakkari, Collins, Krejcikova, Ostapenko, Navarro, Vondrousova, Kostyuk, Vekic, Haddad Maia, and Shnaider. All these WTA stars are set to compete in Paris, aiming to bring glory to their respective countries. While Coco Gauff’s singles campaign now seems to have a mission, the doubles participation also isn’t lacking one.
Jessica Pegula excited to travel the Olympic road with Coco Gauff
Out of all the partners that Coco Gauff has shaken hands with so far, the connection with Jessica Pegula is the strongest. Although the compatriots couldn’t play together in recent tournaments, the fact that they are all set to come back together is adding new layers of excitement for fans all around the world.
Jessica Pegula, before even getting a confirmation on her status of Paris Olympics participation, came forward to express her desire to play alongside the US Open champion. “Hopefully we can play the Olympics next year. I know it was a goal that she really wanted to get a medal there… and for me, too,” the WTA star said.
Being someone who closely examined Coco Gauff, she added, “It’s been a really fun journey that both of us have been on. She’s done all of this so young and me being a late bloomer… it’s very different.”
It is now time for the players to prepare for a switch to clay courts. As the prestigious event is set to begin in just a few days, it still remains to be seen if Gauff will be able to conquer the American dream.
