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American tennis players continued to face questions about the Trump administration and American politics at the Australian Open, and rising star Learner Tien was the latest to shut down that line of inquiry.
Tien, who turned 20 last month, was speaking to the media after his quarterfinal loss to No. 3 Alexander Zverev on Tuesday when a reporter asked him: “In the context of everything that’s been happening right now with [President Donald] Trump and ICE, what does your heritage mean to you and how important are immigrants to American sports today?
Student Tien of the United States reacts after defeating compatriot Marcos Giron in their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia. The match took place on January 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Tien, a California native whose parents immigrated from Vietnam, paused briefly before rubbing his forehead and refusing to participate.
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“Um, I’m sorry, I don’t really want to talk about that right now.”
Tien was the latest American asked to speak about American politics over the past week. Taylor Fritz and Amanda Anisimova had a similar reaction when asked, and Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula tried to answer the questions without getting too political.
OutKick reported that freelance journalist Owen Lewis, who had previously written for The Athletic, was the reporter asking those questions, but it appeared another journalist asked Tien that question.
Student Tien of the US celebrates after defeating Daniil Medvedev in their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia. The match took place on January 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
AMANDA ANISIMOVA DEFENDS THE RIGHT TO AVOID ‘CLICKBAIT’ QUESTIONS ABOUT US POLITICS AT THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Anisimova recently revised the line of questioning during one of her post-match press conferences. He said the journalist was seeking “clickbait” responses and that his decision not to respond was not an indication of his politics.
“At my other press conference, the fact that I didn’t want to answer a question that was obviously intended to be a headline and click bait, was my right. It had nothing to do with my political views or anything like that.”
He continued, “The fact that people assume they know my stance on certain important issues is just wrong. It’s not a fact. It’s hard, but I’ve learned to get used to it.”
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)
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Many social media users, including former American tennis stars. Juan Isner and Tennys Sandgren, came to the defense of the American players, while others on social media have called on the Australian Open to intervene.
