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Gauff, who arrives at the Australian Open as the seventh seed
after winning the tune-up tournament in Auckland last weekend,
burst onto the scene at Wimbledon in 2019 when she beat Venus
Williams in the first round.
A runner-up at Roland Garros last year, Gauff said she is still
a lot younger than many of the veterans on tour and knows she
has plenty of room to grow.
"Compared to other players, obviously I still have a lot less
years than them," Gauff told reporters on Saturday.
"I definitely feel more experienced and like I belong ... I
don't think I feel like quite a vet, but I don't feel like I'm
the new kid. I feel like I'm in the middle of the pack."
Gauff, who made her pro debut on the ITF Circuit in 2018, does
not expect to peak until her mid-20s.
"As much as I would like to think this might be the best I'll
be, I don't believe it because I feel like most of the tennis
players ... are peaking in their career around 22 to 26," she
said.
"I realize physically I'm at a much different level than I was
at 15, I think I'm just continuing to get stronger. There's a
joke that my mom has: 'You don't have that grown woman strength
yet. You'll know when you get it.'"
Gauff faces Czech Katerina Siniakova in the first round of the
Australian Open, which begins on Monday.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru)
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