Following what she called the “continued genocide of Black people,” Naomi Osaka pulled out of the Western & Southern Open in New York because there are “much more important matters at hand” than watching her play tennis.
After the tweet from the world’s highest-paid female athlete, the US Open warmup announced there would be no play Thursday before resuming Friday.
It followed the Wednesday postponement of NBA, Major League Baseball, MLS and WNBA games in the aftermath of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin and subsequent protests.
Blake would likely be left paralyzed, according to his family, after he was shot seven times.
Japan’s Osaka took to Twitter on Wednesday night local time in New York after defeating Anett Kontaveit in the quarterfinals and speaking with reporters.
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) August 27, 2020
“Hello, as many of you are aware I was scheduled to play my semifinals match tomorrow,” the two-time grand slam winner began. “However, before I am an 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?”
The 22-year-old ended her post with the hashtags, Jacob Blake, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain and George Floyd.
Taylor was shot and killed by plainclothes police officers in March, McClain died last August after being placed in a chokehold by police and Floyd died in Minneapolis in May after being pinned down by police. One officer kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes.
Osaka — who has lived most of her life in the US and now resides in Los Angeles — joined protests in Minneapolis in the days after Floyd’s death.
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