Fritz, Paul, LeBron James & an Olympics memory for a lifetime

LeBron James is one of the most recognisable people on the planet. If you looked closely at the basketball legend on television during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics, there were nearby faces familiar to tennis fans, including Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.

With WTA star Coco Gauff a co-flagbearer for the United States alongside James, the rest of the tennis team was invited to the front of the American boat, giving them time with James and the rest of the basketball team.

“It was really cool. It was awesome that Coco was a flagbearer, and it was awesome for all of us as well, because of the fact that we did kind of get to experience the opening ceremonies a little bit differently than all the other Americans, because we were up front with the basketball players,” Fritz told ATPTour.com at the Cincinnati Open, where he is the 11th seed. “We were just right in the front, on the boat in the opening ceremonies. It was one of the coolest experiences.”

James, who helped lead the United States to a gold medal in men’s basketball, took a photo with the entire American tennis contingent.

“It was cool. We were just riding the Coco Gauff train. We were only up there because of her, so it was cool seeing her have her moment,” Paul said. “Obviously unreal to be a flagbearer at the Olympics, so that was really cool.”

The ATP tennis players who attended the Opening Ceremony — Fritz, Paul, Christopher Eubanks and Marcos Giron — also rode to the ceremony on the same bus as their country’s basketball team, which was a who’s who of the best players in the world.

“Being on the on the bus with the U.S. basketball team was really cool, too,” Paul, the 10th seed in Cincinnati, said. “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.”

Fritz reached the third round in singles and Paul advanced to the quarter-finals, but they did not come home empty handed. The Americans earned bronze in men’s doubles, joining silver medalists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram as tennis medalists from the United States.

With memories for a lifetime in hand, they will turn their attention to their first tournament in the United States since the Olympics, the Cincinnati Open.

Fritz said: “I think before the event even started, before we were able to medal, just that alone made me happy with my decision to go.”