There is a new hero in the sport of women’s tennis, and her name is Naomi Osaka.
Osaka just won her second US Open championship on Saturday, defeating the tough-minded Victoria Azarenka in three sets to claim her third major title.
Yet Osaka’s accomplishments are not solely being revered because of her play, but the stance she is making on the court and saying in her post-match interviews.
Osaka, with a Haitian father and Japanese mother, has taken it upon herself to express her views on the racial injustices to African-Americans in the United States — and it was only fitting that she did it in the stadium of the late, great Arthur Ashe. During the two-week tournament, Osaka donned the names of Ahmaud Arbery, Philando Castile, George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Elijah McClain, Tamir Rice and Breonna Taylor on her customized masks when she stepped onto the court, bringing attention to those Blacks that have been killed (or murdered).
It was also Osaka — joining other professional sports in late August — who boycotted her semifinal match at the Western and Southern Open Tournament in Cincinnati after the shooting of Jacob Blake at the hands of police in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Her bravery has come to no surprise to this reporter. Just two years ago at the age of 20, Osaka had already made an impression on me, a longtime fan of tennis. When she defeated the legendary Serena Williams and denied her 24th grand slam championship in a crazed US Open final in 2018, Osaka showed grace and compassion after fans booed the chair umpire for taking a game away from Williams for multiple rule violations.
Osaka had beaten her idol, but clearly couldn’t enjoy her first major title the way she wanted to. Now, we’ve seen her mature even more in a short two years. After her quarterfinal straight-sets win over American Shelby Rogers on Tuesday, Osaka was interviewed by ESPN reporters Chris McKendry and Jason Goodall. Little did Osaka know that she would be viewing footage from Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, and Ahmaud Arbery’s father, Marcus Arbery Sr., thanking her for her courage and continuing to raise awareness..
When McKendry asked, “What’s it mean to you?”
Osaka said, “It means a lot. I feel like — I don’t know — they’re so strong. I’m not sure what I’d be able to do if I was in their position. I feel like I’m a vessel at this point in order to spread awareness and it’s not going to dull the pain, but hopefully I can help with anything that they need.”
Later in her post-match press conference, Osaka was quoted as saying this:
“Actually, I was just trying really hard not to cry. For me, it’s a bit surreal. It’s extremely touching that they would feel touched by what I’m doing. For me, I feel like what I’m doing is nothing. It’s a speck of what I should be doing.”
Well, everyone all over the world has been noticing Osaka, including our local tennis players. While interviewing Rochester High School graduate Shaling Reynolds, the SJ-R’s Girls Tennis Player of the Year last season, Reynolds said that Osaka was her favorite player.
“I love her character and the way she fights,” said Reynolds, who was adopted at the age of 9 from Shenzhen, China. “Overall, a very good player, and she has a great attitude, as well.”
Reynolds said it all.
And even though Serena Williams — the greatest women’s player in history has not given up her throne — I think she will be comfortable passing the torch. That includes Serena’s older sister, Venus Williams, who fought and succeeded for women to receive equal pay with male athletes in all major tournaments in the same sport.
With the current generation, women’s tennis should be in good hands as long as the Naomi Osaka’s of the world continue to make their voices heard.
Contact Trevor Lawrence: trevor.lawrence@sj-r.com.
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