WATCH: Coco Gauff's stunned reaction after finding out for the first time that she will accompany LeBron James as Olympics flag-bearer at Paris 2024

Coco Gauff was selected as the female flagbearer for the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics earlier today, much to her surprise. She is set to join NBA legend LeBron James at the Parade of Nations on Friday after the pair were voted by their fellow Olympians to serve as the flag bearers.

The 20-year-old American will make her Olympics debut in the French capital later this month. She'd turned pro before the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 but was forced to pull out last minute after testing positive for COVID-19. Gauff is now set to become the first-ever American tennis player to carry the flag during the opening ceremony.

The news was made public earlier today through a heartwarming clip uploaded by Team USA on their social media. Fellow professional and Gauff's good friend Christopher Eubanks made the announcement in the presence of the rest of the American tennis contingent, taking Gauff completely by surprise.

"It's a pretty special moment. Your year last year was incredible. You captured the world by storm, your first Grand Slam. I think you kind of showcased to the world in the U.S. and abroad, how special of a person and tennis player you are. And I think because you are so special, you have the honor of wearing this jacket during the opening ceremony and being the flag bearer with LeBron James," Eubanks was quoted as saying.

A stunned Gauff reacted to the news in complete disbelief, even conceding that "she was not expecting" it at all.

She took to her social media shortly afterwards to reiterate her disbelief. She posted a couple of snippets of her facial expressions while joking about her selection.

Coco Gauff reacts to being selected as the U.S. flag bearer at the 2024 Paris Olympics (All Images: Coco Gauff's Instagram)

She further admitted her shock during an exclusive interview on NBC's "TODAY" show.

"I was completely shocked, like it never would have crossed my mind," Gauff said. "I have no words, honestly."

It was during that interview that she also conceded how big a fan she was of James, describing it as a "cool circumstance to meet him."

Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula to unite in quest for doubles gold

Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula at the 2023 WTA Finals (Picture: Getty)

Coco Gauff and good friend Jessica Pegula will headline the women's doubles field at the 2024 Paris Olympics as the No. 1 ranked team. The pair are coming off a quarterfinal run at the Wimbledon Championships where they went down to top seeds Elise Mertens and Hsieh Su-wei.

Gauff and Pegula have seen plenty of success together on tour. They've won five WTA tournaments together. They reached the final of the 2022 French Open where they went down to home favorites Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic in a grueling three-setter 6–2, 3–6, 2–6.

Gauff will also compete in the mixed doubles with Taylor Fritz.

Gauff and Pegula will be joined by Danielle Collins and Emma Navarro in women’s singles, along with Fritz, Tommy Paul, Chris Eubanks, and Marcos Giron in men’s singles.