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Watch Coco Gauff Learn She Is Team USA Flag Bearer

Watch Coco Gauff find out she is the Team USA flag bearer for the Paris Olympics.

Pat Benson

Coco Gauff will be the flag bearer for Team USA.
Coco Gauff will be the flag bearer for Team USA. / Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The Summer Olympics transcend sports; the quadrennial event is more world history than international competition. The confluence of cultures from around the world marks a moment in time that will be read about in history books for centuries to come.

No part of the Summer Games is more important to culture than the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Athletes dress to the nines and carry their country's flag to show the world what they have to offer.

On Tuesday afternoon, World No. 2 women's tennis player Coco Gauff learned she will be one of the flag bearers for the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Gauff will share the honor with NBA legend LeBron James.

In the viral video above, Gauff shared a behind-the-scenes account of herself learning about the honor. The 20-year-old held back her emotions and said, "Okay, I'm not going to cry… I'm okay."

Fellow American tennis player Chris Eubanks is a longtime friend of Gauff. Eubanks had the pleasure of sharing the happy news with Gauff.

This is a full-circle moment for Gauff as she missed the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19 just before the competition. This year, Gauff will enter the tennis competition as the No. 2 seed.

Gauff won her first Grand Slam last August at the US Open. Maybe she can recreate that magic this August in Paris. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.

Further Reading: Should Coco Gauff get a new coach after Wimbledon?

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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