Gauff, Anisimova, and Keys face unexpected question about U.S. under Donald Trump

Thursday, 22 January 2026 at 16:12

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byJordan Reynolds

Politics and sports collided again when U.S. WTA stars Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, and Madison Keys were asked about their country's direction under President Donald Trump's second term.

Players take wildly differing views when it comes to political issues. Aryna Sabalenka, who was recently slammed by another Ukrainian player, says she believes politics and sport should not mix, despite her previous support for Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

French Open champion Gauff has been more open about her opinions and belief in social justice. Although the world No. 3 did not explicitly reveal who she voted for in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, her opposition to President Trump has been obvious.

That shone through again when she was asked about the U.S. under Trump at a 2026 Australian Open press conference. The 21-year-old hopes the country moves to what she perceives would be a better situation, but also finds talking about it tiring.

"I hope forward that we can have a lot more peace in our country and more kindness in the way we speak to each other about different topics and things like that. Obviously, I’ve been pretty vocal about how I felt."

"At this point, I feel a bit fatigued talking about it just because of the fact that it is hard being a black woman in this country and having to experience things, even online, and seeing marginalized communities being affected.. and knowing that I can only donate and speak out. I try my best to do that. But I hope that as time continues, we can reach a state that we’re not currently in, and we keep moving forward."

Keys, who founded a non-profit named Kindness Wins that tries to spread a hopeful message and bring happiness, made her dislike of Trump and the country's direction under him very clear.

"I think my stance has been pretty obvious. I think it’s pretty obvious where I stand. I am hopeful that we as a country can come together and get back to the values that I think make our country great. I am not a fan of divisiveness."

"I think the beauty of the U.S. is that we are a mixing pot. We are very diverse. We are a home of immigrants. And I hope that we can get back to those values."

In contrast to Gauff and Keys, Anisimova did not want to speak about politics. Last year's Wimbledon and US Open runner-up said she is always proud to represent her country and does not think Trump's presence is relevant.

"I was born in America, so I’m always proud to represent my country. A lot of us are doing really well. It’s great to see a lot of great athletes on the women’s and men’s side. [asked about politics specifically] I don't think that's relevant."

No player should be under any obligation to speak about politics if they do not want to. Gauff and Keys talking openly while Anisimova remained neutral are both entirely reasonable positions.