LeBron James and U.S. Tennis Stars Share Unforgettable Olympic Experience
This week in Cincinnati, American athletes are competing for the first time since the Olympics, where tennis players Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul had the unique opportunity to share the spotlight with basketball icon LeBron James during the Opening Ceremony in Paris.
With tennis champion Coco Gauff serving as a co-flagbearer for Team USA alongside James, the tennis team joined them at the front of the American delegation. Fritz expressed his excitement about the experience, noting, “It was really cool. It was awesome that Coco was a flagbearer, and we got to experience the opening ceremonies a bit differently from other Americans because we were up front with the basketball players.”
LeBron James, who led the U.S. men’s basketball team to a gold medal, took a group photo with the American tennis athletes as well. Paul remarked on Gauff’s honor, stating, “We were just riding the Coco Gauff train. We were only up there because of her, so it was cool seeing her have her moment.”
The ATP players who participated in the Opening Ceremony included Fritz, Paul, Christopher Eubanks, and Marcos Giron. They traveled to the event on the same bus as the renowned U.S. basketball team. Paul recounted the experience, saying, “Being on the bus with the U.S. basketball team was really cool. I talked to Jrue Holiday a little bit, and Derrick White, but we mainly took a picture with Bron. He was talking to Coco most of the time.”
In the Olympic tennis competitions, Fritz reached the third round in singles while Paul advanced to the quarter-finals. Together, they contributed to the U.S. medal count by winning a bronze in men’s doubles, joining silver medalists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.
As they prepare for their first tournament in the United States since the Olympics, the Cincinnati Open, Fritz reflected on the experience saying, “Even before the event started, just being able to be there made me happy with my decision to go.”