On Wednesday night tennis star Naomi Osaka announced she would not play in the semifinals of the WTA Western & Southern Open on Thursday, in protest of the “continued genocide of Black people at the hand of the police.”
The organizers of the ATP tournament then announced they were pausing the tournament until Friday. It is unclear if Osaka will play on the following day.
Osaka’s powerful post stated that “before I am a[n] 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.”
On Wednesday night, the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their playoff game in response to the shooting death of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. WNBA teams did the same, multiple MLB games were boycotted by players, and all but one MLS game was called off by players in response to the shooting.
Here is Osaka’s post, which was also translated into Japanese.
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) August 27, 2020
