Naomi Osaka: Wears Mask Honoring Breonna Taylor at U.S. Open

Aug 31, 2020; Flushing Meadows, New York, USA; Naomi Osaka (JPN) hits the ball in the stands following her match with Misaki Doi (JPN) on day one of the 2020 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Naomi just made the Top Ten on Calamity Jane’s list of ‘Most Annoying Sports Celebutards’!


source: CBS News

Before and after her first-round victory at the U.S. Open, Naomi Osaka wore a mask bearing the name of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was fatally shot by police. It’s just one of seven face coverings, each in honor of a different person, that Osaka brought to Flushing Meadows – the same number of wins it takes to claim a Grand Slam trophy.

The world’s highest-earning female athlete hopes she can get the chance to raise awareness about racial injustice by using each mask during her stay in New York.

“It’s quite sad that seven masks isn’t enough for the amount of names, so hopefully I’ll get to the finals so you can see all of them.”

Naomi Osaka

It is quite sad that Naomi just doesn’t STFU and beat her furry little ball over the net!

“I’m aware that tennis is watched all over the world, and maybe there is someone that doesn’t know Breonna Taylor’s story. Maybe they’ll, like, Google it or something……For me, (it’s about) just spreading awareness. I feel like the more people know the story, then the more interesting or interested they’ll become in it.”

Naomi Osaka

On the court, she overcame some uneven play late Monday night to beat 81st-ranked Misaki Doi 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 in an all-Japanese matchup in an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium.

It was during the Western & Southern Open last week that Osaka took a public stand by saying she would refuse to play her semifinal, joining athletes in various other sports who walked out to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a police officer in Wisconsin.

Osaka’s move prompted tournament organizers to halt action entirely for a day. When play resumed, Osaka agreed to compete, after all, because the day off for the Western & Southern Open brought additional attention to the issue.

Osaka walked out on court for her match Monday night with a black mask and white lettering with the name of Taylor, a 26-year-old who was fatally shot when police officers burst into her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation in March.

Osaka put the mask back on for her postmatch interview.

“A lot of people ask me if I feel more stressed out ever since I started speaking out more. To be honest, not really…….At this point, like, if you don’t like me, it is what it is. You know what I mean?”

Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka wears mask honoring Breonna Taylor at U.S. Open. She hopes to wear 6 more with different names.


Calamity Jane