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American tennis star Coco Gauff was asked for her thoughts on the state of the U.S. one year into President Donald Trump’s second term at the Australian Open on Tuesday.
Gauff had been outspoken against Trump in the past, but expressed hope for peace in the future.
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Coco Gauff of the U.S. plays a forehand return to Olga Danilovic of Serbia during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
“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,” she said, via The Tennis Letter. “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 also 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, yeah, I hope that as time continues that we can reach a state that we’re not currently in, and we keep moving forward. I posted the video of Martin Luther King and that was kind of saying, ‘We must keep moving forward,’ even as things may not be as calm as I’d like it to be right now.”
Gauff last spoke about Trump after she won the French Open last June, saying the 2024 presidential election result was a “down period.”
Coco Gauff of the United States plays a backhand return during a practice session ahead of the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
“I remember after the election and everything, it felt like a down period a little bit. My mom told me during Riyadh, try to win the tournament just to give people something to smile for. That’s what I was thinking about today,” Gauff said at the time.
Despite the “down period” comment, Gauff said she is “definitely patriotic.”
“Some people may feel some type of way about being patriotic and things like that, but I’m definitely patriotic. I’m proud to be American. I’m proud to represent Americans that look like me and people who kind of support the things that I support,” Gauff added.
She has made it to the third round of the 2026 Australian Open after defeating Kamilla Rakhimova and Olga Danilović in her first two matches.
Coco Gauff of United States in action against Kamilla Rakhimova of Uzbekistan in the first round of the women’s singles at the Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park on Jan. 19, 2026. (Mike Frey/Imagn Images)
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Gauff will take on fellow American Hailey Baptiste in the third round.
Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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