Before 2020, many people viewed Naomi Osaka as a soft-spoken tennis athlete. The Japanese star had enjoyed a lot of commercial success, and she had rarely used her platform to speak out over social issues. However, the disturbing video of a police officer kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for close to eight minutes sparked Osaka into action. The 22-year-old reality star traveled to Minneapolis with her boyfriend, Cordae, to participate in Black Lives Matter protests. Police officers arrested Osaka’s boyfriend during the demonstrations, and the incident strengthened her conviction to speak out over racial inequality in the United States.
Osaka took on an activist role at the US Open
Osaka wrote an article for Esquire Magazine to share her experiences of growing up as a black woman in America. The three-time Grand Slam winner has a unique background since her mother, Naomi, is Japanese, while her father is originally from Haiti. Osaka’s family moved to the United States when she was three years old. The 22-year-old star used her Instagram account to raise awareness about the plight of black men in her adopted country immediately after George Floyd’s death, and she would later take on an activist role before and during the US Open. After the shooting of Jakob Blake, Osaka pulled out of her semifinal match at the Western and Southern Open, and the tournament had to be postponed for a day. The Japanese decided to play when the competition resumed, but she took her activism a step further during the US Open.
Sania Mirza has praised Osaka for using her platform to address racial inequality
Throughout the Grand Slam tournament, Osaka wore a facemask bearing the name of some of the African-American victims who had died from police brutality incidents. The 22-year-old won the tournament, and her activism received global attention. Indian tennis legend, Sania Mirza recently praised Osaka for using her voice to raise awareness about the Black Lives Matter movement. In a recent interview, the former world number one commended Osaka for taking up the responsibility to speak out about racial injustice. Mirza feels that other tennis players should follow the US Open champion’s example and stand up for what they think is right.
Tennis fans have enjoyed Mirza’s return to the court in 2020. The Indian star had promised to play at the 2020 Summer Olympics before they were put off to next year. She enjoyed some success early in the year when she won the doubles title at the Hobart International Open alongside Nadia Kichenok. However, the two players lost their opening match at the Australian Open after Mirza suffered a calf injury.
Naomi Osaka in 2020
Now the world no.3, the Japanese played her last match on the 12th of September when she beat Victoria Azarenka 1-6 6-3 6-3 in the final of the U.S. Open to win her 6th career title.
At present, this year Osaka has a compiled 16-3 record. Osaka has won 1 title at the U.S. Open. Osaka got to the final in New York.
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