Article by Adrian Jitea – Published on Thursday, 05 March 2026, 18:15 / Updated on Thursday, 05 March 2026 18:15
Coco Gauff (21 years old) expressed her concern about the unstable situation in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the WTA No. 4 American is preparing for her Indian Wells debut.
At the end of last week, the US and Israel launched a military attack on Iran, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury”, with the official aim of destroying parts of Iran's military and nuclear capabilities. The response from Tehran came in force, drones and missiles sent to all US bases in the region.
Coco Gauff is among the athletes who directly addressed the subject. Before her debut at Indian Wells, scheduled for Friday, against Kamilla Rakhimova, the American held a press conference.
Coco Gauff on the military conflict in the Middle East: “A lot of unjustified violence”
“First of all, what is happening is unfortunate. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected and to the innocent lives lost. I think this is a lot of gratuitous violence.
I think it's just a lot of unfortunate circumstances that led to this situation. I'm thankful that I was able to get out of there before things got to the point where they are now,” Gauff said.
“In terms of the Middle East, I've never felt unsafe there, playing in tournaments or in other contexts. I've never felt in danger.
I think that in relation to what is happening now, maybe the political experts could have anticipated and warned. From a tennis player's perspective, no one would have expected things to turn out like this,” added the world number 4.
Coco Gauff at a press conference PHOTO Imago Images
It's not the first time that Gauff tackles political or social issues. A month ago, he said he found it difficult to read about protesters killed by ICE agents in the US.
Obviously, I don't agree with everything that happens in the US. I don't think people should die on the streets just because they exist. I don't like what's happening! I think it's hard for me sometimes to wake up and see something like this because I care so much about our country. Some people think, for some reason, that I don't care, but that's not true. I am very proud to be an American
– Coco Gauff
At the age of 21, Coco Gauff has two Grand Slam titles under her belt, Roland Garros 2025 and US Open 2023. She has won a total of 11 trophies and was ranked world number 2 in June 2024.
