"Goal was to get good for Olympics": Coco Gauff confirms she won't play doubles at US Open, virtually closes chapter on doubles after Paris heartbreak

Coco Gauff has opened up about her intention to virtually close the chapter on her doubles career after her heartbreak at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The American revealed her decision after her shock upset at the Canadian Open.

Gauff had maximized her chances of securing a medal at the Paris Olympics, competing in singles, mixed doubles, and women's doubles at the prestigious event. However, the American's efforts fell short, as she suffered an unexpected loss to eventual singles silver medalist Donna Vekic in the third round.

The 20-year-old's women's doubles campaign with Jessica Pegula also ended in a disappointing defeat in the second round, while her mixed doubles partnership with Taylor Fritz was quashed in the quarterfinals.

Nevertheless, Coco Gauff promptly put the disappointment behind her as she kicked off her North American hardcourt swing at the Canadian Open, where she claimed a dominant 6-4, 6-4 win over Wang Yafan in her opening match. However, the World No. 2 struggled against Diana Shnaider in the third round, losing 6-4, 6-1 in just 70 minutes.

The 20-year-old's loss to Schnaider marked the end of her run at the WTA 1000 event in Toronto, as she chose not to enter the doubles draw with her usual partner Pegula.

Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula's absence from the Cincinnati Open and US Open doubles draws was a topic of discussion in the post-match press conference. The World No. 2 confirmed that she would not compete in doubles in Cincinnati or New York, explaining that her primary goal with doubles had been to prepare for the Olympics.

Gauff highlighted the difficulty of balancing singles and doubles weekly and suggested that while she might play doubles occasionally in 2025, she will no longer make it a priority.

"No, I'm not going to be playing doubles. I just, the goal was to try to get as good as possible for the Olympics and then, yeah. Every week, week-in and week-out, I'm making the end of the week, if I'm playing singles and doubles usually I'm there at the semis at least in one event," Coco Gauff said.

"Yeah, it's just tough to go week-in and week-out on tour, so that's the reason why. But maybe next year I'll play here and there. I won't be playing doubles as consistently as I have been in the past," she added.

The American also reaffirmed her intention to focus solely on her singles campaign during her title defense at the US Open.

"No, no, nothing (laughing). Just singles. Yeah, focus on that," she said.

Coco Gauff's decision comes as no surprise, as she had previously opened up about her desire to win a doubles Grand Slam title so she could "close that chapter of her career." The American achieved her goal at this year's French Open, clinching the women's doubles crown with Katerina Siniakova.

Coco Gauff after Canadian Open 3R exit: "I said going into the tournament I didn't have high expectations, but I wish I could have competed better"

Although Coco Gauff had admitted that she did not expect to win the Canadian Open title so soon after the Paris Olympics, the World No. 2 was still left disappointed with her performance in her loss to Diana Shnaider.

Gauff also conceded that she questioned her decision to compete at the WTA 1000 event, but eventually, her desire to test herself while being mentally and physically fatigued won out.

"I mean, I knew I was going to go into this tired either way, that's just how it is. Yeah, there's sometimes I question like whether I should have played or not, but at the end of the day I wanted to test myself and see if I would be able to, how I would do being mentally tired a little bit and physically fatigued," Gauff said in the same press conference.

"I said going into the tournament I didn't have high expectations, but I wish I could have competed better today, even if it resulted in a loss. I don't think I competed well," she added.

Coco Gauff will be back in the action at the Cincinnati Open, entering the tournament as the defending champion. The 20-year-old will aim to deliver a strong performance at the WTA 1000 event in preparation for her title defense at the US Open.