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American tennis star Coco Gauff was asked at the Australian Open on Tuesday to give her opinion on the state of the United States, a year into President Donald Trump’s second term.
Gauff had spoken out openly against Trump in the past, but expressed hope for peace in the future.
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American Coco Gauff plays a straight return to Serbian Olga Danilovic during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, January 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
“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.
“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.”
Gauff last spoke about Trump after his victory at the French Open last June, saying the outcome of the 2024 presidential election was a “down period.”
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American Coco Gauff plays a backhand return during a practice session ahead of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
“I remember after the elections and everything, it was like a bit of a tough time. My mom told me in Riyadh to try to win the tournament just to give people something to smile about. That’s what I was thinking about today,” Gauff said at the time.
Despite the “depression era” comment, Gauff said she was “definitely patriotic.”
“Some people may feel some kind of patriotism and things like that, but I’m definitely patriotic. I’m proud to be an American. I’m proud to represent Americans who look like me and people who support the things that I support,” Gauff added.
She reached the third round of the 2026 Australian Open after defeating Kamilla Rakhimova and Olga Danilović in her first two matches.
American Coco Gauff in action against Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova in the first round of the women’s singles at the Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park on January 19, 2026. (Mike Frey/Imagn Images)
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Gauff will face fellow American Hailey Baptiste in the third round.
