In the almost five years since, Gauff has won the US Open, been a finalist at the French Open, been named one of TIME’s Women of the Year, been a cover girl on Vogue and catapulted to third in the world rankings. She’s also made the semifinals or better in three of the four major tournaments, and has made it to the fourth round at Wimbledon twice.
She’s reached a world No. 1 ranking in doubles, in August 2022, alongside partner Jessica Pegula, and twice made the finals of a Grand Slam in doubles.
On Monday, her experience helped her shake off a slow start, with Gauff beating Lucia Bronzetti 6-2, 7-6(5) in the third round at Indian Wells. And while it wasn’t always perfect, one thing Gauff has learned thus far in her career is how to win when she’s not always perfect.
“The mentality is the reason why I’m playing and the reason why I’m being successful,” Gauff said. “I’m not always playing my best, but mentally when I show that each match I’m not going to give up, it gives something for the opponent to think about.”
She’ll turn 20 on Wednesday, the same day as her fourth-round matchup against Elise Mertens, who ousted Naomi Osaka in the third round. If you ask Gauff what she’d like for her birthday, she doesn’t quite know.
