Former Mercer Tennis Classic Players Named to US Olympic Tennis Team
6/20/2024 6:51:00 PM | Women's Tennis
MACON, Ga. - The city of Macon and the Mercer Tennis Classic will be well represented at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
The USTA today announced the American players that will represent the U.S. Olympic Tennis Team for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The women's team includes singles world No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 5 Jessica Pegula (Macon Player in 2016), No. 11 Danielle Collins (Macon Player in 2016) , No. 17 Emma Navarro (Macon Player in 2020, 2021, 2022) , and doubles No. 11 Desirae Krawczyk.
Coached by USTA Head of Women's Tennis Kathy Rinaldi, the U.S. women's team will feature four singles players in Paris–Gauff, Pegula, Collins and Navarro–and two doubles teams: Gauff and Pegula, Collins and Krawczyk. The U.S. will also announce its one mixed doubles team that will compete in Paris–taken from the above-named players–at a later date. Team nominations are subject to approval by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the International Tennis Federation.
The 2024 Olympic Games will be held from July 26 to Aug. 11 in Paris, with the tennis competition staged from July 27 to Aug. 4 at Roland Garros. The U.S. has won 24 Olympic medals (14 gold) in men's and women's tennis since it returned as a full medal sport in 1988–more than any other nation.
Player Bios:
Danielle Collins, 30 (St. Petersburg, Fla.), is ranked No. 11 at the time of team nominations and will compete in her first Olympic Games. A career-high world No. 7 in singles, Collins is having a career year after announcing in January she'd retire following this season amid two ongoing health battles, rheumatoid arthritis and endometriosis. Her 36-11 singles record in 2024 includes a 15-match winning streak and two back-to-back singles titles, at Miami and Charleston. Her one career doubles title was won with fellow Olympian Desirae Krawczyk, last year in Charleston. She won the NCAA singles title twice while playing at the University of Virginia in 2014 and 2016.
Emma Navarro, 23 (New York/Charleston, S.C.), is ranked a career-high No. 17 at the time of team nominations and will compete in her first Olympic Games. She won her first WTA singles title earlier this year, in Hobart, and advanced to the Round of 16 at Roland Garros. Navarro won the 2021 NCAA singles title as a freshman at the University of Virginia.
Jessica Pegula, 30 (Buffalo, N.Y./Boca Raton, Fla.), is ranked No. 5 in singles at the time of team nominations and will compete in her second Olympic Games. A career-high world No. 3 in singles, Pegula has won four career WTA singles titles, including two in 2023, and seven doubles titles (five with Gauff). The 2023 WTA Finals singles runner-up, Pegula has also been ranked No. 1 in doubles, alongside Gauff.
Tournament volunteers are needed in Macon and any help is always appreciated. Call Mercer tennis coach and tournament director Eric Hayes at (478) 301-2269.
About the John Drew Smith Tennis Center
The John Drew Smith Tennis Center (JDSTC) is regarded as one of the top 25 public municipal facilities in the nation by Tennis Magazine and the United States Tennis Association. It has 22 tennis courts, 6 pickleball courts, a beautiful observation deck and pro shop. The facility is a haven for programming for juniors, adults, and everyone in the community. Historic John Drew Smith Tennis Center is renowned for hosting local, state, and national tennis events. Tennis players not only from the state of Georgia but all over the country, are familiar with JDS. Almost every competitive junior player from the state of Georgia in the last 40 years has played at this renowned facility. The activity is so extensive and the atmosphere is so conducive to tennis that, in 2005, Racquet Sports Industry (RSI) named John Drew Smith Tennis Center the Municipal Facility of the Year.
About the USTA Pro Circuit
With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from $15,000 to $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. The USTA launched its Pro Circuit in 1979 to provide players with the opportunity to gain professional ranking points, and it has since grown to become the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, offering nearly $3 million in prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities nationwide. Victoria Azarenka, Eugenie Bouchard, John Isner, Madison Keys, Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, Sam Querrey and Caroline Wozniacki are among today's top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.
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The USTA today announced the American players that will represent the U.S. Olympic Tennis Team for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The women's team includes singles world No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 5 Jessica Pegula (Macon Player in 2016), No. 11 Danielle Collins (Macon Player in 2016) , No. 17 Emma Navarro (Macon Player in 2020, 2021, 2022) , and doubles No. 11 Desirae Krawczyk.
Coached by USTA Head of Women's Tennis Kathy Rinaldi, the U.S. women's team will feature four singles players in Paris–Gauff, Pegula, Collins and Navarro–and two doubles teams: Gauff and Pegula, Collins and Krawczyk. The U.S. will also announce its one mixed doubles team that will compete in Paris–taken from the above-named players–at a later date. Team nominations are subject to approval by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the International Tennis Federation.
The 2024 Olympic Games will be held from July 26 to Aug. 11 in Paris, with the tennis competition staged from July 27 to Aug. 4 at Roland Garros. The U.S. has won 24 Olympic medals (14 gold) in men's and women's tennis since it returned as a full medal sport in 1988–more than any other nation.
Player Bios:
Danielle Collins, 30 (St. Petersburg, Fla.), is ranked No. 11 at the time of team nominations and will compete in her first Olympic Games. A career-high world No. 7 in singles, Collins is having a career year after announcing in January she'd retire following this season amid two ongoing health battles, rheumatoid arthritis and endometriosis. Her 36-11 singles record in 2024 includes a 15-match winning streak and two back-to-back singles titles, at Miami and Charleston. Her one career doubles title was won with fellow Olympian Desirae Krawczyk, last year in Charleston. She won the NCAA singles title twice while playing at the University of Virginia in 2014 and 2016.
Emma Navarro, 23 (New York/Charleston, S.C.), is ranked a career-high No. 17 at the time of team nominations and will compete in her first Olympic Games. She won her first WTA singles title earlier this year, in Hobart, and advanced to the Round of 16 at Roland Garros. Navarro won the 2021 NCAA singles title as a freshman at the University of Virginia.
Jessica Pegula, 30 (Buffalo, N.Y./Boca Raton, Fla.), is ranked No. 5 in singles at the time of team nominations and will compete in her second Olympic Games. A career-high world No. 3 in singles, Pegula has won four career WTA singles titles, including two in 2023, and seven doubles titles (five with Gauff). The 2023 WTA Finals singles runner-up, Pegula has also been ranked No. 1 in doubles, alongside Gauff.
Tournament volunteers are needed in Macon and any help is always appreciated. Call Mercer tennis coach and tournament director Eric Hayes at (478) 301-2269.
About the John Drew Smith Tennis Center
The John Drew Smith Tennis Center (JDSTC) is regarded as one of the top 25 public municipal facilities in the nation by Tennis Magazine and the United States Tennis Association. It has 22 tennis courts, 6 pickleball courts, a beautiful observation deck and pro shop. The facility is a haven for programming for juniors, adults, and everyone in the community. Historic John Drew Smith Tennis Center is renowned for hosting local, state, and national tennis events. Tennis players not only from the state of Georgia but all over the country, are familiar with JDS. Almost every competitive junior player from the state of Georgia in the last 40 years has played at this renowned facility. The activity is so extensive and the atmosphere is so conducive to tennis that, in 2005, Racquet Sports Industry (RSI) named John Drew Smith Tennis Center the Municipal Facility of the Year.
About the USTA Pro Circuit
With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from $15,000 to $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. The USTA launched its Pro Circuit in 1979 to provide players with the opportunity to gain professional ranking points, and it has since grown to become the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, offering nearly $3 million in prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities nationwide. Victoria Azarenka, Eugenie Bouchard, John Isner, Madison Keys, Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, Sam Querrey and Caroline Wozniacki are among today's top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.
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