Tennis star Naomi Osaka says he is prepared to continue playing in the Western & Southern Open in New York after earlier pulling out.
The Japanese announced on this week that she was boycotting the tournament in protest of Jacob Blake’s shooting.
“Hello, as many of you are aware I was scheduled to play my semifinals match tomorrow,” a statement from Osaka said.
“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.”
2 days after leading tennis into a social justice work stoppage, Naomi Osaka returned to the court in a Black Lives Matter T-shirt and won her semifinal match in the Western & Southern Openhttps://t.co/YMqTaphKu6
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 28, 2020
“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?”
However, the 22-year-old says she has decided to resume playing after speaking with reps for the WTA and USTA.
“As you know, I pulled out of the tournament yesterday in support of racial injustice and continued police violence,” she said in a statement on Thursday.
“I was (and am) ready and prepared to concede the match to my opponent. 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.”
Meanwhile, Osaka is now set to face Elise Mertens in the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open.
