Naomi Osaka receives important recognition after being named the AP female athlete. The Japanese sensation received the prestigious award for being able to combine her fantastic results (winning the US Open) while being an extremely strong activist.
The world no.3 hit the media strong and loud when protesting in support of the black community. Osaka stepped up after the horrible killing of George Floyd earlier in the year. Then, in August, she refused to play the Western & Southern Open semifinal protesting against Jakob Blake’s shooting. Tha action forced both the ATP and the WTA tours to postpone the final 4s of 1 day. Later Naomi reached pure stardom when she won the US Open, famously wearing 7 different masks carrying the names of 7 victims of racism.
Tennis legend Billie Jean King was an inspiration herself for the tennis community and beyond and she loves the messages carried by Naomi.
Talking to AP, King commented:
“She successfully completed the difficult task of taking excellence in sports performance and using that platform to succeed outside of sports on a much bigger stage.
She ignited a conversation on social justice, the results of which were bigger than tennis, larger than sports, and in doing so raised the bar for all those who want to leverage the gifts and talents we have to make a difference in our world.”
On Saturday, James LeBron (basketball) was named the AP male athlete of the year. He was also carrying a rather strong message in support of the black community.
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Naomi Osaka in 2020
Now the world no.3, Osaka played her last match on the 12th of September when she defeated Victoria Azarenka 1-6 6-3 6-3 in the final of the U.S. Open to win her 6th career title.
This season Osaka has a composed 16-3 win-loss record. The Japanese clinched 1 title at the U.S. Open. Naomi reached the final in New York.
Naomi Osaka |
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