Coco Gauff Is Nervous About One Aspect of Her Olympics Opening Ceremony Gig — LeBron James' Height (Exclusive)

The 20-year-old tennis star will become the first U.S. tennis player and youngest American flagbearer in Olympic history during the 2024 opening ceremony

Coco Gauff is ready to make Olympic history at the 2024 opening ceremony in Paris, but the 20-year-old tennis star says there's one main thing she's concerned about ahead of the event.

Gauff, 20, tells PEOPLE during a press conference in Paris that she's mostly "not nervous" about her gig as flagbearer alongside LeBron James during the Parade of Nations, where she'll be the first U.S. tennis player and youngest American flagbearer in Olympic history.

"I don't know, I feel like you just hold the flag so I don't think I can mess it up too much," Gauff says.

But, "I am a little concerned about the height difference," the 5-foot-9 athlete says of the 6-foot-9 NBA star.

"Is my arm going to be up here while he's holding it? I don't know. I thought it was two separate flags when I was looking at a picture. They hold it together, so I don't really know," Gauff adds.

Related: How to Watch the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

As for competing, Gauff admits to "a little bit" of nerves ahead of her first Olympic match against Ajla Tomljanović. "Obviously it's my first Olympics, but I'm just trying to take it in and pretend it's Roland-Garros because it's at that site and it's in a familiar area. So I think I feel better about that," says Gauff.

James, 38, is the first men's basketball player to carry the American flag at the opening ceremony.

After she was selected as Team USA's flag-bearer, Gauff used social media to thank her fellow athletes for their support.

"I just want to say thank you to my fellow team USA olympians/athletes for voting and choosing me for this incredible honor to be the flag bearer for the opening ceremony," Gauff wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Wednesday, July 24, adding that she's "incredibly honored" by the selection.

Related: Coco Gauff Talks ‘Finding a Balance’ with Boyfriend and Family amid Busy Tennis Schedule (Exclusive)

Gauff's selection was first reported by Today on Wednesday. Following the announcement, the morning show shared an exclusive video of the moment Gauff was informed and her touching reaction to the honor.

“I was completely shocked,” Gauff said during the segment, adding, “I never would have crossed my mind. I have no words, honestly.”

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The athlete continued, “It made me cry. I didn’t want to cry in front of my teammates.. but when I called my mom, I started crying. I think it’s even more special — even now I get emotional thinking about it — that so many incredible people just think that I’m worth of this. It means a lot, truly.”

Live coverage of the opening ceremony starts at 12 p.m. EST on Friday and the event will begin at 1:30 p.m. EST on NBC and Peacock.

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. And sign up for Going for Gold, our Olympics newsletter, to get the biggest stories from the Games delivered straight to your inbox. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, beginning July 26, on NBC and Peacock.

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