Gauff to start 2020 season in Auckland

Everyone can't wait to see what Coco Gauff will do next. There's good news: she'll be back on tour ahead of the Australian Open. The 15-year-old is scheduled to play a warm-up event in Auckland, which starts on January 6, two weeks before Melbourne.

Gauff last competed in Luxembourg, where she and Caty McNally won the doubles title. The week prior she won the singles crown in Linz.

The world No. 68 is limited by the WTA's age rule, but turns 16 in March. She's taken part in a few exhibition matches since Luxembourg in mid-October, and will be training hard in Florida.

Part of her off-season will include some time on the basketball court with Chris Eubanks, who she called out on the Beyond the Baseline podcast.

"He claims he's good at basketball. We're going to see," she told Jon Wertheim. "He has the height, but I'm pretty sure he can't dunk even though he's 6'7"."

Eubanks was quick to react, telling Baseline, "I can't believe she would even come up and say something like that. For one, we've never been on the court together and two, I know for a fact, she is terrible..."

Her preparation for 2020, at least on the tennis court, will help her compete in Auckland and beyond. The loaded WTA International field features Amanda Anisimova, Serena Williams and Bianca Andreescu.