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American tennis star Amanda Anisimova has dismissed a tennis journalist’s question about what it was like playing in the United States with “everything going on.”
Anisimova was among the American players who received a similar question at the Australian Open this week. First, he was asked how it felt “playing under the American flag right now.”
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American Amanda Anisimova reacts after defeating Czech Katerina Siniakova in their second round match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, January 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
“I was born in America, so I’m always proud to represent my country,” the New Jersey native said. “A lot of us are doing really well and it’s great to see a lot of great athletes on both the women’s and men’s side. I feel like we’re all doing a great job representing each other.”
The reporter then attempted to clarify the question, asking “in the context of last year, with everything that happened in the United States, does that complicate that feeling?”
“I don’t think that’s relevant,” she retorted.
AMERICAN TENNIS STAR COCO GAUFF GIVES THOUGHTS ON THE STATE OF THE UNITED STATES IN THE YEAR OF TRUMP’S SECOND TERM
Amanda Anisimova of the United States is congratulated by Katerina Siniakova, right, of the Czech Republic after their second round match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Anisimova’s response stood in stark contrast to what Coco Gauff said at the tournament earlier this week.
Gauff was asked about her thoughts on “the state of America,” a year into President Donald Trump’s second term.
“I hope we can have a lot more peace in our country and more kindness in the way we talk to each other about different topics and things like that,” she said via The Tennis Letter. “Obviously, I’ve talked a lot about how I feel. At this point, I feel a little tired of talking about it just because it’s also hard being a black woman in this country and having to go through things, even online, and seeing marginalized communities being affected. And knowing that I can only donate and speak out. I’m trying my best to do that.
American Amanda Anisimova reacts after defeating Switzerland’s Simona Waltert in their first round match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, January 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
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“But yeah, I hope that over time we can reach a state that we’re not in now and that we continue to move forward. I posted the Martin Luther King video and that was kind of saying, ‘We have to keep moving forward,’ even though things might not be as calm as I would like right now.”
