NEW YORK (AP) – Naomi Osaka reached the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open on Wednesday and retired hours later in a demand for racial justice, garnering quick support from other players. Immediately after that, the entire tournament was suspended for one day.
“As a sport, tennis is taking a collective stance against racial inequality and social injustice that has once again been brought to the fore in the United States. The USTA, the ATP Tour and the WTA have agreed to recognize this moment in time by stopping the tournament play at the Western & Southern Open on Thursday, August 27, “the three organizations said in a statement.
Osaka, the Japanese star and last-seeded top-10 in the women’s group, has joined pro athletes in basketball, baseball and football in a challenging change after Jacob Blake was shot by the police.
Osaka tweeted that as a black woman, she feels compelled to retire from the tournament to focus on the police shooting blacks.
“I don’t expect anything drastic to happen if I don’t play, but if I can get a conversation started in a predominantly white sport I consider it a step in the right direction,” tweeted Osaka. “Watching the continuing genocide of blacks at the hands of the police makes me sick frankly.
“I’m exhausted of having a new hashtag showing up every few days and I’m extremely tired of having this same conversation over and over. When will it ever be enough?”
His move quickly garnered support from fellow tour players.
Sloane Stephens Retweeted the message and added: “Say it louder! Proud of you “and in a separate tweet he added, # Proud of all the sports teams and athletes who have taken a stand #BLM tonight”
– Naomi Osaka Naomi Osaka (@naomiosaka) August 27, 2020
Having reached the semi-finals late Wednesday, Milos Raonic he said the ATP and WTA should consider joint action that goes beyond a small group of players.
“I think the real disruption, this is what makes the change, and I think a lot of real disruptions are caused by influencing people in a monetary way and can force some kind of change,” he said. “I hope that at least on the men’s tour as well as the women’s tour, we team up and show support.”
All NBA and WNBA games, three Major League Baseball games, and five of six Major League Soccer games were canceled Wednesday because the athletes were demanding racial justice.
Osaka beat number 12 Anett Kontaveit 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 Wednesday afternoon, reaching the semifinals as the only top-10 left in the group. Late Wednesday, she was still scheduled to play number 14 Elise Mertens in the semifinals.
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