Naomi Osaka made headlines around the world when she announced that she would not play at the Western & Southern Open on Thursday. And after she beat Elise Mertens 6-2 7-6(5) to book her place in the final, she spoke about the social issues dominating the news in America.
“After my quarters match I saw everything the NBA was doing,” Osaka said. “Then I felt like I also needed to raise my voice. So I called Stu, my agent, and we talked it over. Then we called the WTA, and they said that they would love to support and they were going to push play back a day. So I put out my statement.”
“I feel like this is where everyone gets confused, because I didn’t say I was going to withdraw from the tournament. I just said I wasn’t going to play the next day. And today is Friday, and when I posted it was on Wednesday. I think that’s where there was a bit of confusion.”
Osaka reflects on “hectic” 48 hours
The extra attention has affected Osaka over the last couple of days. “When I posted (my statement on Twitter), I just thought it would make rounds in the tennis circle,” she said. “I wasn’t aware of the reach that it would get.”
“So if I’m being completely honest, it was a bit frightening for me, and I had to turn off my phone because I get really anxious whenever I see people talking about me. But then honestly I did put myself in that situation, so that was kind of stupid. But I would just say I didn’t expect the response that I got.”
The Japanese player continued, “It’s been kind of hectic, and I honestly haven’t been able to get that much sleep yesterday. So I’m glad I was able to win today.”
“I feel extra pressure now that there are more eyes watching me. Honestly I don’t recognize some of you guys, so hi, I guess. Yeah, I would just say there’s a lot of pressure I put on myself, and of course I feel like now there is another reason for me to want to win, but I feel like I have to reel back all those emotions and just focus on what I train for.”
A difficult decision explained
“It was hard and easy at the same time (for me to decide not to play on Thursday),” Osaka said. “It was hard because I felt like I put myself in a really good position (in the tournament). When I was practicing during quarantine, all I thought of was playing tournaments. So just to be in the semis of a tournament I felt was something that I could really be proud of.”
“I don’t know. For me, in that sense, it was also at the same time easy, because I felt like I needed to raise my voice. If withdrawing from a tournament would cause the most stir, then it’s something that I would have to do.”
Osaka continued, “I don’t feel like I’m being brave. I just feel like I’m doing what I should be doing. So honestly, when people say courageous or anything, I don’t really resonate that well with it. I just feel like this is what I’m supposed to be doing in this moment.”
Osaka glad to see others getting involved
The Japanese star is happy she is not the only tennis player speaking out about social issues. “I feel like the players are using their voice more, especially Coco Gauff. I love her for that. She seems to be taking charge both on and off the court, so it’s really nice to see.”
“I feel like maybe this generation of tennis players won’t be too scared of the consequences of seeing things that are on their mind. That would be really nice to see.”
Osaka is also encouraged by the stance of the governing bodies. “Previously I thought only the Big Three and Serena would have that type of power (to get matches postponed). But also, at the same time, I recognize the fact that maybe the WTA and ATP wanted to do something like this but they needed a push from a player to do something like this? So maybe I was sort of their one player.”
“But I think it’s definitely really cool of them to do this and for them to be open to changing for social issues.”
