Tennis Star Naomi Osaka To Play In Semi-Finals Match After Previous Boycott

Naomi Osaka

Tennis Star Naomi Osaka To Play In Semi-Finals Match After Previous Boycott

Update #2 (Aug. 28th): Naomi Osaka will be taking the court for the semifinals after all. The tennis star released a statement and said she plans on participating in the tournament today (Aug. 28th), after boycotting Thursday (Aug. 27th).

She told The Guardian: 

“As you know, I pulled out of the tournament yesterday in support of racial injustice and continued police violence. I was (and am) ready and prepared to concede the match to my opponent.”

She continued,

“However, after my announcement and lengthy consultation with the WTA and USTA, 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. I want to thank the WTA and the tournament for their support.”

She’s scheduled to go against No. 14 Elise Mertens. The finals will be pushed from today (Aug. 28th) to tomorrow (Saturday, Aug. 29th).

Original Story (Aug. 27th) Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka, announced that she will no longer be participating in the tournament semifinals in wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

In a written statement released to her Instagram account on August 26th, the 22-year-old phenomenon wrote:

Hello, as many of you are aware I was scheduled to play in the semifinals match tomorrow. However, before I am an athlete, I am a Black woman.

She continued, explaining why she won’t be participating as well as the intentions behind her decision:

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.

Naomi Osaka closes out her statement, expressing how watching the world in its current climate of injustice and murder toward the black community makes her feel “sick to her stomach”, as well as expressing exasperation at having this same conversation repeatedly:

Watching the continued genocide of Black people at the hands 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, #BreonnaTaylor, #ElijahMcclain, #George Floyd

What are your thoughts on athletes taking a stand by choosing to not play in solidarity?

Let us know in the comments below!

By: @a.girlwhowrites