Overview
- At the Dubai Tennis Championships, Gauff said people should not be dying in the streets just for existing, referencing the Minneapolis killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and stepped-up ICE operations.
- Gauff said she is proud to be American but argued citizens do not have to reflect the values of current leadership.
- She dismissed calls for athletes to stay out of politics, pledging candid answers when asked while affirming players’ right to decline comment.
- Her stance aligns with recent comments from U.S. athletes including Chloe Kim, Hunter Hess, and Madison Keys, with President Donald Trump calling Hess a “real loser.”
- Gauff cited her family’s civil-rights roots, noting her grandmother Yvonne Lee Odom was the first Black student to attend Delray Beach public schools in 1961.