Coco Gauff Criticizes US ICE Killings at Dubai Event

Coco Gauff, the 21-year-old American tennis star and two-time Grand Slam champion, voiced strong disapproval of recent violence in the United States during a press conference at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Sunday, highlighting the killings of two Minnesota residents by federal agents amid nationwide protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Gauff, currently the world No. 4 and top-ranked American woman on the WTA Tour, addressed the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, who were shot by ICE officers in Minneapolis last month. The incidents have fueled widespread demonstrations under the banner of "ICE Out of Everywhere" across U.S. cities, with protesters decrying aggressive immigration enforcement tactics. "Everything going on in the U.S., obviously I'm not really for it," Gauff said. "I don't think people should be dying in the streets just for existing. I don't like what's going on." She described the emotional toll of following news from abroad, noting, "It is tough to sometimes wake up and see something because I do care a lot about our country. I think people think I don't for some reason, but I do. I'm very proud to be American."