Former world number one Naomi Osaka announced on Wednesday that she is pregnant and will be taking a break from tennis until 2024. Photo: Panoramic via ZUMA Press
Naomi Osaka takes a stand against racial injustices
Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Western and Southern Open to stand in solidarity with the BlackLivesMatter movement
Former world number one Naomi Osaka announced on Wednesday that she is pregnant and will be taking a break from tennis until 2024. Photo: Panoramic via ZUMA Press
Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Western and Southern Open in protest over the shooting of Jacob Blake.
Naomi Osaka, the 22-year-old two-time grandslam winner, joined similar protests by athletes in the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Wisconsin.
Naomi Osaka defeated Anett Kontaveit 4-6 6-2 7-5 to reach the semis where she was scheduled to face Belgian Elise Mertens however the tennis star has since withdrawn from the US Open curtain raiser tournament to stand in solidarity with those fighting against racial injustices.
Naomi Osaka withdraws from Western & Southern Open
The fourth-seed confirmed her withdrawal via a tweet from her official Twitter account while highlighting the importance of coming up with practical solutions to put an end to racial injustice.
“I don’t expect anything drastic to happen with me not playing, but if I can get a conversation started in a majority white sport I consider that a step in the right direction,” Naomi Osaka tweeted.
“Watching the continued genocide of Black people at the hand of the police is honestly making me sick to my stomach.
“I’m exhausted of having a new hashtag pop up every few days and I’m extremely tired of having this same conversation over and over again. When will it ever be enough?”
Western and Southern Open paused
Following Naomi Osaka’s tweet, a joint statement was released by the ATP, WTA and US Tennis Association, saying play would pause at the tournament until Saturday.
“As a sport, tennis is collectively taking a stance against racial inequality and social injustice that once again has been thrust to the forefront in the United States,” a statement read.
“The USTA, ATP Tour, and WTA have decided to recognise this moment in time by pausing tournament play at the Western & Southern Open on Thursday, August 27. Play will resume on Friday, August 28.”
Naomi Osaka is set to feature in the upcoming US Open which is scheduled to get underway on 31 August while this year’s first grandslam final is set to take place on 13 September 2020.
