With several top-ranked players from both tours – ATP and WTA – withdrawing from the 2024 Olympics, the American contingent had a great opportunity to finish the event with multiple medals. Instead, Taylor Fritz and co. had a disappointing performance. Despite their subpar campaign, the players seemed to enjoy their experience at the Paris Games, especially during the opening ceremony.
Without any doubt, the USA Basketball Team had some of the most popular athletes – LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and others – participating in the Summer Games. Out of the remaining 580 athletes representing the red, white, and blue, the tennis contingent was lucky enough to experience the opening ceremony beside the NBA superstars on the boat.
At the Cincinnati Open 2024, Fritz and Tommy Paul revealed their experience from the opening ceremony.
Fritz called it “one of the coolest experiences”, being part of the ceremony alongside the NBA players.
“We did kind of get to experience the opening ceremonies a little bit differently than all the other Americans because we were upfront with the basketball players. We were just right in the front, on the boat in the opening ceremonies. It was one of the coolest experiences,” Fritz said.
Paul, who made it farther in the singles event than any other American, also disclosed how he got the opportunity to have a word with two members – Jrue Holiday & Derrick White – of the 2024 championship-winning Boston Celtics roster. Unfortunately, only co-flagbearer Coco Gauff was fortunate enough to have a conversation with LeBron James.
“Being on the bus with the U.S. basketball team was really cool, too. We didn’t talk too much to them. I talked to Jrue Holiday a little bit, and Derrick White, but Bron, we kind of just got a picture with. I think he was talking to Coco most of the time,” Paul explained.
While they couldn’t have a word with him, the entire tennis contingent did get an opportunity to get a photo clicked with King James.
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Fritz and Paul did manage to bring back home a medal. While the duo of Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek won the silver in the doubles event, the Fritz-Paul pairing defeated the Czech team of Tomas Machac and Adam Pavlasek in the bronze medal encounter.
