LeBron James and the U.S. tennis team, including players Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, shared a memorable experience during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics. This marks the tennis team’s first competition in the U.S. since the Olympics, as they prepare for the Cincinnati Open.
During the ceremony, LeBron James stood out among the athletes, while Coco Gauff served as a co-flagbearer for the United States, bringing the tennis players to the forefront alongside the prominent basketball team. “It was really cool. It was awesome that Coco was a flagbearer, and it was great for us because we got to experience the opening ceremonies a little differently, being right up front with the basketball players,” Fritz stated.
James, who contributed to the U.S. men’s basketball team’s gold medal win, even took a photo with the tennis squad. Paul reflected on the occasion, saying, “We were just riding the Coco Gauff train… it was surreal to see her have her moment as a flagbearer.”
The tennis competitors, Fritz and Paul alongside Christopher Eubanks and Marcos Giron, traveled to the ceremony on a bus with the basketball team. Paul mentioned that he had brief interactions with players like Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, but most of the time, James was conversing with Gauff.
At the Olympics, Fritz reached the third round in singles and Paul made it to the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, both earned bronze in men’s doubles, with fellow Americans Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram taking home silver. As they head into the Cincinnati Open, Fritz expressed satisfaction with his decision to compete at the Olympics, emphasizing that the experience itself was rewarding.