Coco Gauff pens letter to her younger self ahead of Olympic debut: 'You've already won'

As far as Coco Gauff is concerned, she's "already won" just by qualifying for the upcoming Olympics in Paris. But taking a medal of any color would be a bonus.

As her Olympic debut approaches in just over a week, the reigning US Open champion penned an emotional letter to her crestfallen younger self about belatedly achieving her childhood goal of making the U.S. Olympic team. Three years ago, then just 17 years old, Gauff missed the Tokyo Games as a result of contracting COVID-19 on the eve of her expected departure.

The American has made no secret of how devastated she was to miss out on playing for her country that year, making her upcoming Paris debut all the sweeter.

"Behind a stream of tears, you’re going to wonder how you’ll ever be able to break the news to your team captain. Your teammates and friends will have to contend on behalf of your country without you," she wrote.

"With a new day though, you’ll have a new attitude. What else can you do? While your Olympic goal is seemingly on hold, people around the globe are in crises, battling COVID, with real pressure, real hardship and real-life struggles. You’re just missing a big tournament.

"The fresh perspective on your situation will make a new goal clear to you: qualifying for the 2024 Paris Games."

Gauff earned herself a spot on the U.S. Olympic team by virtue of being one of the WTA's most consistent performers over the qualification period in the last year, which included her first Grand Slam singles title at the US Open last summer. And a refrain that Gauff was singing about proving doubters wrong after her first major triumph in Queens resurfaced in her self-reflection, revealing just how much outside noise and negativity was weighing on her mind.

"Your outlook isn’t defined by the lines painted on the court; it’s solidified by your convictions, your choice to support others and the belief that you can elicit change," Gauff wrote. "Stay strong in who you are, and what you want to communicate with the world.

"In those times that the world doubts you–of which there will be plenty–don’t let it frustrate you, let it fuel you. No one can dim your light as long you believe in it. As you hoist that silver trophy at the US Open, your fire will never be brighter. Let it illuminate your future."

Read more: Quote of the Day: After Wimbledon exit, Coco Gauff says “my mind is on the Olympics”

Gauff will be one of the biggest multiple-medal threats of any player in Paris, as she looks to put the U.S. back on the tennis podium. She will join Danielle Collins, Emma Navarro and Jessica Pegula as the Americans' singles players, and will also team with Pegula for doubles.

The U.S. did not medal in any of the five events at the Tokyo Games, marking just the second time that happened since tennis returned to the Olympic program in 1988. But regardless of whether or not Gauff finds herself on the podium when the Olympics conclude, she says she's looking forward to "learn[ing] and ... enjoy[ing]" all that awaits her.

"The excitement is overwhelming. You can’t wait to travel with your teammates, to take on the Olympic tennis tournament and hopefully increase the United States’ medal count that you continually check each Olympics," she wrote.

"Besides the battle on the court, be sure to enjoy the whole experience outside the confines of Roland Garros. There will be athletes from across the world that you admire that you will have the opportunity to connect with. You can learn about new sports that have nothing to do with a baseline, backhand or the world of tennis.

"In your phone under your vision notes, you wrote that you want to win a medal at the Olympics. Gold, silver, bronze–it doesn’t matter. But you’ve already won, you’ve made your childhood dream of playing at the Olympics, representing the United States, a real reality. And now, finally, you get to enjoy it."