Coco Gauff, World No. 4 and one of the top players to compete at the Masters 1,000 Dubai Championships, has been asked about the recent events happening in her country, United States, and said she is "not really for it", and that "I don't think people should be dying in the streets just for existing", referring to the recent murders of citizens by the anti-immigration ICE shootings.
"Everything going on in the US, obviously I'm not really for it. I don't think people should be dying in the streets just for existing. I don't like what's going on", Gauff said in Dubai. "I think for me it is tough to sometimes wake up and see something because I do care a lot about our country. I think people think I don't for some reason, but I do.
"I'm very proud to be American. But I think when you're from any country, you don't have to represent the entire values of what's going on in the leadership. I think there's a lot of people around there who believe in the things I believe in, and believe in diversity and equality. So, I'm hoping as the future progresses that we can get back to those values".
As The Guardian points out, the 21-year-old has frequently raised her voice to protest about social issues, like the genocide in Gaza or the Black Lives Matter protests, giving a speech when she was just 16. Her grandmother, Yvonne Lee Odom, helped desegregate public schools in Delray Beach, Florida, in the 1960s.
Gauff, winner of two Grand Slams (US Open 2023 and Roland Garros 2025) is currently the best American player in the WTA ranking, ranked fourth ahead of her compatriots Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova. Gauff debuts at the round of 32 of Dubai Championships against Anna Kalinskaya, at around 10:20 on Tuesday.
At the Winter Olympic Games in Italy, other American athletes have spoken out about the social injustices at their home country, despite receiving criticism by Donald Trump.