Naomi Osaka is one of the biggest names on the women’s tennis circuit. She’s from Japan, not a traditional tennis hotbed, but despite that she has been world number one before, is likely to be again at some point in the future and has won three grand slam titles.
Naomi Osaka BLM
All done early in her career, she is now still just 22 years old. Anyone with sports betting accounts who bets on tennis will no doubt know how good she is on the court, and many people will have backed her for success in the past.
On top of that, she has used her platform very well, and made statements to show what she supports, the latest of these being support for the Black Lives Matter movement. A look at the latest celebrity news will show you many people talking about this, but few have gone to the lengths that Osaka has.
Her background is not simple, she has a Japanese mother and a father from Haiti. Japanese law states that a child with an international parent must have the birthname of their mother, and on top of that, Osaka’s father was discriminated against in other ways during her early years, including by the family of his wife.
Osaka has grown up with prejudice and discrimination from a very early age, though things changed when she moved to the USA aged just three. After watching domination by the Williams’ sisters in 1999, Osaka’s father was inspired to teach her how to play tennis.
Fast forward to the year 2020 and Osaka has used her past to develop into a hugely successful tennis star, as well as being someone who fights against prejudice and discrimination. She is just 22, but has already stood up on numerous occasions to fight for what she believes in, and this year we have seen that more than ever from her.
This was the year when Osaka began to take part in activism. She has joined in with the Black Lives Matter protests that have taken place across America for the entire summer. She has not been afraid to stand shoulder to shoulder with those who are less fortunate than her, in an attempt to make things right.
During her games at the US Open, arguably the biggest tennis tournament in the world, she wore face masks that had the names of people who has died in police shootings. We are talking about an event watched by millions in the US and around the world, she is a big name player at the event and is prepared to make a statement showing what she believes in.
She sat out her semi-final match at the Western & Southern Open too, which was the event before the US Open, again in protest.
The biggest incident of them all this summer has been the George Floyd incident. Osaka joined in with protests in Minnesota after Floyd was killed by police officers.
This isn’t just about joining in. It is about Naomi Osaka using the platform she has to the best of her ability to create awareness about what is happening, and for a 22 year old, she is doing a fantastic job.