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Former American tennis stars John Isner and Tennys Sandgren on Thursday criticized a journalist’s interrogation of Amanda Anisimova while she was at the Australian Open.
A journalist pressured Anisimova to share her opinion about the United States and playing under the American flag. She didn’t give the reporter the bait, and he clarified what he meant in a follow-up question.
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John Isner of the United States serves against Michael Mmoh of the United States on day four of the 2023 US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 31, 2023. (Jerry Lai/USA TODAY Sports)
“In the context of the last year of everything that’s been happening in the United States, does that complicate that feeling at all?” the journalist asked.
“I don’t think that’s relevant,” she replied.
Isner was one of those who criticized the question on social media.
“Popular opinion: Let’s ask players about tennis at a tennis tournament. This is so boring,” Isner wrote in X.
Sandgren didn’t mince his words either.
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Tennys Sandgren of the United States reacts against James Duckworth of Australia (not pictured) during the Citi Open at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center on August 3, 2021. (Scott Taetsch/USA TODAY Sports)
“Bug reporter,” he added. “Go write for The Economist if you have the skills. If not, ask them how they felt about their setback and move on.”
Anisimova’s response was a stark contrast to what Coco Gauff said during the tournament earlier this week.
Gauff was asked what he thought about the “state of America” a year into President Donald Trump’s second term.
“I hope we can have a lot more peace in our country and more kindness in the way we talk to each other about different topics and things like that,” he said via The Tennis Letter. “Obviously, I’ve been pretty vocal about how I feel. At this point, I feel a little fatigued from talking about it just because of the fact that it’s also hard to be a black woman in this country and have to experience things, even online, and see how marginalized communities are affected. And knowing that I can only donate and speak out, I do my best to do that.
Amanda Anisimova of the United States in action against Simona Waltert of Switzerland in the first round on Day 2 of the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 19, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. (Robert Prange/Getty Images)
“But yeah, I hope that as time goes on we can get to a state that we’re not currently in and keep moving forward. I posted the Martin Luther King video and that was like saying, ‘We need to keep moving forward,’ even when things may not be as calm as I would like them to be right now.”
