Naomi Osaka and Billie Jean King are 2 huge icons for tennis. Both the Japanese sensation and the American have been extremely active in defending minorities to all fight for equality in general.
Naomi and Billie Jean King had a great conversation sponsored by Mastercard over the internet. The American legend has always professed her admiration for Naomi for being vocal especially after the horrible killing of George Floyd. During their video, they talked about their actions and Billie Jean stressed the fact that she loved how Naomi spoke up. The world no.3 confessed that especially at the beginning, it was odd for her to promote the [black lives matter] message.
Naomi also admitted that she didn’t know if she could make a difference, but she just wanted to raise awareness.
“The biggest thing that I’ve learned over the years is that everyone has a story. And I feel like it’s important for people to talk and converse about the things that they feel are important to them,” added Osaka.
Also, Naomi said that she feels more like a vessel using her platform to forward the message. Osaka posted the following message when promoting the video:
“It’s important to me to continue to find ways to encourage conversation & drive social change, as the great @BillieJeanKing did before me to create a more equal world for all.”
Naomi Osaka out from the French Open
Unfortunately, Naomi could not compete at the current Roland Garros as she was struggling with a hamstring injury. The Japanese ace confirmed that she was unhappy not to play in France also because she really liked the feeling that she had when she was playing there since the fans looked happy to “accept her” and who she is.
Naomi Osaka in 2020
Now the world no.3, Osaka played her last match on the 12th of September when she overcame 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 16-3 win-loss record. The Japanese has won 1 title at the U.S. Open. The Japanese reached the final in New York.
