The old guard will play alongside the new at this weekend's Fed Cup as Team USA face Latvia in Everett, Washington competing for a place in the 2020 finals in Budapest in April.

15-year-old sensation Cori “Coco” Gauff was picked for the team and will play in a team with champion Sofia Kenin, Serena Williams, Alison Riske and Bethanie Mattek-Sands. 

For all the players, it is a step towards Olympic qualification as players must play in the Fed Cup to be eligible for the games. 

For fans, it's a chance to see Gauff, a player who burst onto the scene at Wimbledon and then defeated Venus Williams and Naomi Osaka to reach the fourth round of the 2020 Australian Open. She was beaten by the now-champion Kenin.

The United States has won a total of 18 Fed Cup titles and with such a formidable line up will no doubt be optimistic again. 

The Seattle Times asked Gauff for her thoughts on the state of the women's game among American players and she said: “We’re doing pretty well if I may so myself. I would say we’re on top for sure.”

“A lot of us are having good runs. A lot of us are prospering.”

Ranked 8th in America, Gauff may struggle to qualify for the Olympics as she is limited to the number of tournaments she can compete in because of her age. There are six places available - four spaces for singles and two for doubles. 

In a news conference in Melbourne, Gauff confirmed that this isn't stopping her from working towards the Olympics. She said: “It will be difficult. But I'm going to try as hard as possible. I definitely do want to play the Olympics. Yeah, I mean, it would be pretty cool.”

With Williams still performing well on the court at the age of 38, Kenin winning a major at 21 and Gauff making waves before she's even 16, the future of the women's game in America looks exciting - for this weekend and beyond.