Tennis star Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the Western & Southern Open in New York in protest of the shooting of Jacob Blake.
The 22-year-old announced the decision just a day after defeating Anett Kontaveit in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Blake, an African-American, was shot seven times in the back by a police officer in Kenosha as he opened the door of his car.
The victim is currently in critical condition and the incident has once again sparked conversations about racial injustice and police brutality against black people.
Protests from several athletes in the US led to a postponement of NBA, Major League Baseball, MLS and WNBA games on Wednesday.
In a Twitter post, Osaka said she was pulling out of the Western and Southern Open tournament in New York due to the 'continued genocide of Black people'.
"Hello, as many of you are aware I was scheduled to play my semifinals match tomorrow," she wrote.
"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.”
The the two-time grand slam winner continued: "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?"
