{"id":385027,"date":"2026-01-22T22:57:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T22:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/385027\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T22:57:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T22:57:09","slug":"american-tennis-star-snaps-back-at-reporter-at-australian-open-over-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/385027\/","title":{"rendered":"American tennis star snaps back at reporter at Australian Open over politics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Amanda Anisimova swiftly rebuffed a journalist&#8217;s attempt to draw her into political territory during her post-match press conference at the Australian Open on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>The 22-year-old New Jersey native, currently ranked fourth in the world, was questioned about competing under the Stars and Stripes given the present climate in America.<\/p>\n<p>Her response was characteristically direct: &#8220;I was born in America. So, I&#8217;m always proud to represent my country.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The world number four, whose parents emigrated from Russia, praised her compatriots&#8217; performances in Melbourne, noting the impressive showings from both American men and women at the tournament.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"b983b\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"b60c8ecce78e96f2044713939110fd4e\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" class=\"rm-shortcode rm-lazyloadable-image \" lazy-loadable=\"true\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201200%20712'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-runner-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/amanda-anisimova-snapped-back-at-a-reporter-after-questions-on-american-politics.jpg\" width=\"1200\" height=\"712\" alt=\"Amanda Anisimova snapped back at a reporter after questions on American politics\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Amanda Anisimova snapped back at a reporter after questions on American politics<\/p>\n<p> | <\/p>\n<p>X<\/p>\n<p>When the journalist pressed further, seeking to contextualise the inquiry within &#8220;everything that&#8217;s been happening in the U.S.&#8221; over the past twelve months, Anisimova shut down the line of questioning entirely.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s relevant,&#8221; she responded firmly.<\/p>\n<p>The exchange highlighted the American&#8217;s determination to keep her focus squarely on tennis rather than wading into political discourse.<\/p>\n<p>Her succinct dismissal earned approval from supporters who commended her professionalism in navigating what could have escalated into a contentious discussion.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"cc4ea\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"5edede085cf217f444fa87aeb51e03e3\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" class=\"rm-shortcode rm-lazyloadable-image \" lazy-loadable=\"true\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%202000%201362'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-runner-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/amanda-anisimova-is-ranked-fourth-in-the-world-and-has-high-hopes-of-going-far-at-the-australian-ope.jpeg\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1362\" alt=\"Amanda Anisimova is ranked fourth in the world and has high hopes of going far at the Australian Open\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Amanda Anisimova is ranked fourth in the world and has high hopes of going far at the Australian Open<\/p>\n<p> | <\/p>\n<p>REUTERS<\/p>\n<p>Anisimova had earlier made clear she harboured no thoughts of switching allegiances, stating: &#8220;I&#8217;m not planning to switch my nationality or represent a different country.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Anisimova&#8217;s terse approach stood in marked contrast to fellow American Coco Gauff, who offered a far more expansive commentary when posed similar questions earlier in the tournament.<\/p>\n<p>Asked about the state of her homeland one year into President Donald Trump&#8217;s second term, Gauff expressed weariness with the subject whilst calling for greater unity.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;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,&#8221; she remarked.<\/p>\n<p>The young star acknowledged feeling &#8220;fatigued&#8221; discussing such matters, citing the particular challenges of being a black woman in America and witnessing the impact on marginalised communities.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"0dc8e\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"79e764ad9786ca2291f6ba21d2af18bb\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" class=\"rm-shortcode rm-lazyloadable-image \" lazy-loadable=\"true\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201984%201328'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-runner-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/coco-gauff-has-admitted-her-fatigue-over-questions-on-america.jpg\" width=\"1984\" height=\"1328\" alt=\"Coco Gauff has admitted her fatigue over questions on America\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Coco Gauff has admitted her fatigue over questions on America<\/p>\n<p> | <\/p>\n<p>REUTERS<\/p>\n<p>Anisimova&#8217;s commanding displays on court have matched her composure off it, conceding a mere ten games across her opening two encounters in Melbourne.<\/p>\n<p>She dispatched Simona Waltert 6-3, 6-2 in the first round before seeing off Katerina Siniakova with an emphatic 6-1, 6-4 scoreline.<\/p>\n<p>The American will face compatriot Peyton Stearns in the third round on Saturday as she continues her pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"6172f\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"a133f66946a6356f2991f2ea4fd2b4fc\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" class=\"rm-shortcode rm-lazyloadable-image \" lazy-loadable=\"true\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201080%201080'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-runner-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769122629_994_image.jpg\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1080\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Her impressive start to the 2026 season has cemented her status among the genuine contenders, with few observers willing to bet against her remaining in the hunt come the tournament&#8217;s conclusion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Amanda Anisimova swiftly rebuffed a journalist&#8217;s attempt to draw her into political territory during her post-match press conference&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":385028,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[50,2331,217,101,118,56,54,55,741,1384],"class_list":["post-385027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-news","tag-sgg","tag-sport","tag-sports","tag-tennis","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-us","tag-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=385027"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385027\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/385028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=385027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=385027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=385027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}