What did Coco Gauff say as athlete reacts to backlash Uber American tennis fans criticism?

Coco Gauff addressed criticism surrounding her remarks on American tennis fans after her comments sparked debate during the United Cup in Australia. The tournament, which offered ranking points, doubled as a showcase of tennis’ global presence, with supporters from across the world visibly backing their teams.

While the stands reflected great international pride, Gauff said she wished American fans were more present, noting she wanted to see a little bit more red, white, and blue. Her comments later drew backlash, prompting her to clarify her perspective.

In a video shared by TennisONE App on X, the world No. 4 explained her thoughts while speaking at the event.

“I feel like we’re definitely, in tennis, the worst. I’ve always said I wish our country in other places would show up throughout the world as we see smaller countries support, but I also think it’s just because our country’s good in so many sports, so it’s just hard," shared Coco Gauff.

Coco Gauff competed at the United Cup as the reigning French Open champion and was reported by Forbes to be the highest-paid female athlete of 2025, with estimated earnings of $33 million.

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Coco Gauff addressed the reaction to her remarks about American tennis fans:

Coco Gauff responded to criticism surrounding her remarks about U.S. tennis fans by offering clarification on social media. After describing American supporters as “the worst” when it came to backing players overseas, Gauff said her comments had been taken out of context.

“Lol I’m going to clarify because people are dragging this out of context. I‘m not expecting people to travel to tournaments to watch us play. But there are many tournaments that we have in america and abroad where americans are already attending regardless of who is playing (excluding us open) where people come and don’t really cheer for their countrymen [sic] player,” Gauff, wrote.

She said her remarks were shaped by what she had observed at tournaments, particularly during team events, and contrasted American fan behavior with that of smaller nations.

“Whereas those from smaller countries come with their colors and flags and it is clear on who they are supporting. I was just speaking from my perspective. Trust me I understand the financial aspect of things and know tennis is not accessible for everyone, it was more of a comment for those who are already attending and how I wish they were as passionate as those from other countries more specifically team events.”

Gauff later noted that fans were not obligated to support her, saying “people don’t owe [her] anything.” She added that she was “just honestly answering a question” and that her view was “simply an observation [she] noticed about other countries” compared to her own.

“Nevertheless I am grateful for any support no matter how big or small it is,” she concluded.

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Mixed reactions followed Coco Gauff’s comments on American tennis fans:

Reactions continued to pour in beneath the clip as users offered mixed responses to Coco Gauff’s statements about American tennis fans. One commenter argued that Coco Gauff's remarks had been misunderstood, suggesting she was referring to Americans already living overseas or those with the means to attend international tournaments.

"She’s talking about Americans that LIVE in these countries where she has tournaments. And people who have the means to travel the world (a lot of tennis fans have MONEY). She’s not talking about regular 9to5 ppl who live in Alabama and Virginia lol," shared dante.

Another user expressed frustration with the comments, pointing to the financial realities faced by many fans.

"It's hard enough to afford to see Live tennis in the states, let alone travel to Australia. She should be grateful we follow and support her here and via the tennis channel," shared Robbin Milne.

Taylor Fritz later came to Coco Gauff's defense on social media. The top-ranked American man said he had been sitting next to her and understood exactly what she meant.

"People always wanna take things in the worst possible way. I was there sitting next to her, and I know EXACTLY what Coco meant and was trying to say, and she’s right. There is absolutely no disrespect meant to the US fans at all in this statement. If we were to play Czech or Poland here at United cup there will be a massive group of fans going crazy for them," shared Taylor Fritz.

"We love the Americans that come out and support, some other countries abroad just have a really insane sports culture, but we appreciate every single American abroad that comes to watch," added Taylor Fritz.