Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula reunite for Indian Wells doubles win

Tennis fans have missed the doubles pairing of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula. We have not seen them play together since the WTA Finals in November 2023. Five months later at the BNP Paribas Open, the duo reunited and got a win over the all-American team of Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin. Their next match is against another all-American team of Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk in the Round of 16 on Monday night at approximately 6:00 PM EDT.

Pegula hinted at the WTA Finals that she and Gauff would play less doubles in 2024 to focus on their singles careers. However, that transition was expected to occur after the 2024 Paris Olympics which both aspire to play in singles and doubles.

Gauff and Pegula were once the top-ranked doubles team in the world but have fallen out of the top spot due to their inactivity. Pegula was injured causing them not to play and defend their points in the Middle Eastern swing. Hopefully, they will play together at the Miami Open to defend their title.

Preparing for the Olympics is a complex task in 2024

Gauff and Pegula would qualify for the Olympic team if selection occurred today. Ben Shelton was the first American player to point out the realities associated with training for the 2024 Paris Olympics in a recent interview with the Indian Wells press.

Because it is on clay at Roland Garros after Wimbledon and the grass court season and on the heels of the hardcourt season leading up to the US Open, it poses logistical and training challenges. Switching surfaces multiple times within the peak tennis season is difficult and the consequences of not playing the American hardcourt tournaments where ranking points may need to be defended could impact rankings.

The 2012 Olympics at Wimbledon were perfect in that the Olympics started less than three weeks after the Wimbledon Championships ended so players were in London and ready. The 2024 Paris Olympics are starting six weeks after the French Open concludes. It will be interesting to see how Olympic-eligible players plan their summer schedules to prepare.

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