US Open champion Coco Gauff is one of four superstar female athletes nominated for the top prize at this year's ESPY Awards -- which this year is set to be hosted by another Grand Slam champion in Serena Williams.
Awarded since 1993, ABC and ESPN's annual awards recognize excellence in team and individual sports performance, among other charitable and special categories. The 2024 ESPY Awards will air on ABC on Thursday, and Williams called it a "dream come true" to host the show -- at which she won 12 total honors in her career -- when she was announced as the presenter in May.
Joining Gauff on the ballot for Best Athlete, Women's Sports are basketball players Caitlin Clark and A'ja Wilson, and top-ranked LPGA golfer Nelly Korda. Gauff hopes to join four other tennis players to be awarded the honor in the last three decades: Monica Seles (1993, the inaugural winner), Venus Williams (2002), Serena Williams (2003 and 2013) and Naomi Osaka (2021).
Gauff and World No.1 Iga Swiatek are the two Hologic WTA Tour players nominated for the Best Tennis Player honor, which combined men and women last year for the first time. They are joined in the category by Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, both of whom were nominated with Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka in 2023.
Williams will be the first tennis player to ever host the show, and only the fourth female athlete, when it takes place at the famed Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
