Coco Gauff, 18, says she has yet to “grown woman’s strength” and may be EIGHT YEARS from her peak… but she’s heading into the Australian Open full of confidence after warming up with a tournament win for the inaugural Major in 2023 in New Zealand
Coco Gauff has yet to get her “adult woman power,” but the 18-year-old American says she belongs on the WTA Tour and no longer feels like the new kid on the block after making her professional debut almost five years ago .
Gauff, who arrives at the Australian Open as the seventh seed after winning the Tune-Up tournament in Auckland last weekend, stormed onto the stage at Wimbledon in 2019 when she defeated Venus Williams in the first round.
Runner-up at Roland Garros last year, Gauff said she is still much younger than many of the veterans on the Tour and knows she has plenty of room to grow.
Coco Gauff arrives in Melbourne as the seventh seed at this year’s Australian Open
The 18-year-old’s best is yet to come, but she has reason to believe before the Major begins
“Compared to other players, of course, I have a lot less years than them,” Gauff told reporters on Saturday.
“I definitely feel more experienced and a part of it – I don’t think I feel like a vet, but I don’t feel like a newbie. I feel like in the middle of the pack.”
Gauff, who made her pro debut on the ITF Circuit in 2018, doesn’t expect to hit her peak until her mid-20s.
“As much as I’d like to believe this could be for the best, I don’t think so because I feel like most tennis players peak at around 22-26,” she said.
Gauff warmed up for the Australian Open last week with a promising win in New Zealand
“I realize that physically I’m on a completely different level than when I was 15, I think I’m just getting stronger.
“There’s a joke my mom has, ‘You don’t have that adult woman power yet. You’ll know when you get it.”
Gauff meets Czech Katerina Siniakova in the first round of the Australian Open, which starts on Monday.