NEW YORK —?Naomi Osaka, the Japanese world No. 10, announced Aug. 26 that she would sit out her semifinal at the Western and Southern Open in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
The posted the following message on social media in both English and Japanese:
“Hello, as many of you are aware I was scheduled to play my semifinals match tomorrow. However, before I am a athlete, I am a black woman. And as a black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis.
“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.
“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?
“#JacobBlake #BreannaTaylor #ElijaMcclain #GeorgeFloyd”
Osaka’s action was prompted by the shooting of Jacob Blake, 29, on Aug. 23 in Kenosha, Wis. During an arrest, police officer Rusten Sheskey shot seven times at his back, with four shots hitting Blake and leaving him paralyzed. During the subsequent unrest, two protesters were shot and killed by a militia member and Trump supporter from Illinois.
On Aug. 27, Osaka said that in consultation with the WTA and U.S. Tennis Association, “I have agreed at their request to play on Friday. They offered to postpone all matches until Friday and in my mind that brings more attention to the movement.”
The WTA Tour and ATP Tour said the same day that they had decided to postpone the day’s semifinal matches for both men and women to Friday to take “a stance against racial inequality and social injustice.”
Members of the NBA, MLB, MLS and WNBA also halted games to draw attention to the issue.
On Aug. 28, Osaka overcame a faulty serve and reached the Western and Southern Open finals by defeating Elise Mertens, 6-2, 7-6 (5).
On Aug. 31, Osaka walked out in a Breonna Taylor mask for her night match at Arthur Ashe Stadium. She defeated compatriot Misaki Doi, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 and is set to play Camila Giorgi on Wednesday.
“I’m aware that tennis is watched all over the world, and maybe there is someone that doesn’t know Breonna Taylor’s story,” Osaka told reporters. “Maybe they’ll like Google it or something. For me, just spreading awareness. I feel like the more people know the story, then the more interesting or interested they’ll become in it.”
Taylor, 26, an EMT and aspiring nurse, was killed in her own home on March 13 when three plainclothes Louisville police officers executing a “no-knock” warrant returned gunfire after her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired a warning shot because he thought they were intruders. Taylor was shot five times.
Walker maintains that the police never identified themselves. The drug warrant involved Taylor’s ex-boyfriend, who did not live at the apartment, and no drugs were found. Taylor’s family is seeking criminal charges against the officers.
“I have seven,” Osaka told ESPN on court after her win against Doi. “It’s quite sad that seven masks isn’t enough for the amount of names, so hopefully I’ll get to the finals and you can see all of them.”
Tezuka’s ‘Belladonna of Sadness’ at the Nuart
The 15 best tweets of the week, including soup, Bruce Springsteen, and tax fraud
Tesla owners get free supercharging for the holidays
Pigs in a blanket are great when cooked in the air fryer
‘Mazinger Z: Infinity’ to Be Screened
Merry Sexy Christmas, 'Ted Lasso' fans
How Apple AirTags are being used for nefarious purposes
James Webb telescope successfully launches into space
Умельцы воссоздали GTA в Warcraft III
What will dating be like in 2022? Get ready for VR dates and mental health talks.
OCO Crowns Mochitsuki Champs
All the Facebook apps are now officially made by 'Meta Platforms'
The Wachowskis' 'Speed Racer' bombed in 2008. It's now a must
Perseverance's most outta
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s ‘Before We Vanish’ Now Playing
What if the James Webb Space Telescope's sunshield doesn't deploy?
TikTok launches viral food takeout business, but the idea has holes
How 'Book of Boba Fett' took us back to 'Return of the Jedi'
‘Harimaya Bridge’ Screening at SFV Hongwanji Temple
Need a good New Year's resolution? Back up your computer.
America's traffic sucked today because of that total solar eclipse thingPoor pup, like all of us, is terrified of a giant spiderThe Obamas moved Malia into her Harvard dorm during the eclipse, those smart, sneaky parentsYes, Donald Trump just retweeted a bot to rant about the 'fake news media'This grocery store stunt shows what xenophobia looks likeYes, Donald Trump just retweeted a bot to rant about the 'fake news media'6 of history's greatest minds that I could easily defeat in Mario Kart 64ESPN pulls announcer from Virginia broadcast due to name: Robert LeeJohn Kelly will reportedly vet news stories before they land on Donald Trump's deskJohn Kelly will reportedly vet news stories before they land on Donald Trump's desk A viral 'Cinderella' celeb flash mob is one big pile of cursed cringe Allow Regé People got horny on main to farewell Fleets. But after midnight, the Fleets remained. How to use text Danny DeVito gets his Twitter checkmark back after being temporarily unverified TikTok users parody East Asian fetishization with 'Americacore' videos Oh nothing, just Eurovision winner Lordi casually getting the COVID Reddit rejects moderators' call for harsher measures against COVID Those who attack Elon Musk's space tweet have made a new Twitter meme Lil Nas X celebrates his first YouTube video with 1 million dislikes
0.1609s , 9883.9375 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【成人 映画 エロ】Osaka Delays Semifinal to Draw Attention to Police Shootings,Feature Flash
