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Tennis Champion Naomi Osaka Refuses To Play Semi Finals Match Following Jacob Blake Shooting

"[A]s a black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watch me play tennis," Osaka wrote on Instagram.
Naomi Osaka Expands Athletic Initiative To Get More Young Girls Involved In Sports
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 24: Naomi Osaka of Japan plays Karolina Muchova of Czech Republic during the Western & Southern Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 24, 2020 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
By Brooklyn White · Updated May 1, 2024

Athletes, including the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and 22-year-old tennis champion Naomi Osaka, are refusing to play sports to raise awareness following the shooting of Jacob Blake. Osaka was set to play the semi finals match of the 2020 Western and Southern Open on August 27, but ultimately decided that sitting out was necessary to her.

Last night, Osaka shared a note on Instagram about what fueled her decision to not play today’s match. “[B]efore I am a athlete, I am a [B]lack woman,” she wrote. “And as a [B]lack woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watch me play tennis.” The note included the hashtags #JacobBlake, #BreonnaTaylor, #ElijahMcClain, and #GeorgeFloyd, three of which are Black people who have been killed at the hands of police within the last year.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 大坂なおみ🇭🇹🇯🇵 (@naomiosaka)

As stated, Osaka’s timing is connected to the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black father of six who was shot by police on Sunday, August 23. He was shot a total of seven times and Blake’s family has confirmed that he is paralyzed from the waist down, although they are unsure if the damage is permanent. Blake’s family is being represented by notable civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump.

This is not the first time Osaka has spoken out in support of Black Lives. On June 1, a few days after the death of George Floyd, she made a comment on Twitter about the hyper focus on looting, versus the attention being given to those harmed by police.

“When you tweet about the lootings before you tweet about the death of an unarmed black man,” she tweeted, adding clown emojis. The remark was met with tons of backlash, but Osaka stood firm in her stance.

When you tweet about the lootings before you tweet about the death of an unarmed black man 🤡🤡🤡🤡

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) June 1, 2020

Photo credit: Getty Images

TOPICS:  boycott Naomi Osaka sports tennis
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