Naomi Osaka made the statement while she was walking in the court of Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday night.
She hopes to stick longer to make six more.
The No. 4 seed wore a black face mask featuring Bruno Taylor, then went 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 in his first round match at the US Open to stop Misaki Doi.
After the 2018 US Open champion match said that she has six more masks with six different names on them. Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, was the first to be shot dead by police in Louisville in March, as Osaka sought to keep the fight for racial equality and social justice in the spotlight. She will get to wear all six if she reaches the final by taking the first step on Monday night.
“It’s very sad that seven masks are not enough for the amount of names,” Osaka said in a court-interview. “Hopefully I’ll get to the finals and you’ll see it all.”
The next days came when Osaka announced that it would exit the Western and Southern Open semifinals to join other players sitting in the game in the NBA and MLB. The tournament was eventually postponed for a day, but Osaka said on social media that he was “sick” when black people were killed by police.
“Before I was [an] Athlete, I’m a black woman, “tweeted Osaka, a native of Japan. “And as a black woman I think there are more important things at hand that need immediate attention, than I should watch playing tennis.”
Osaka eventually won the semifinals but withdrew from the final due to a hamstring strain.
The injury didn’t apparently hurt him Monday night, but he needed all three sets to avoid discomfort from Unseed Doe.
“It was very difficult and I had a kind of expectation because of the nerves of the first round and also the very tough opponent,” said Osaka, who will face Camilla Georgie in the second round. “So I know there’s a chance it’s going to be really long. I just want to see what happens tomorrow and how I feel.
“It simply came to our notice then. It was still a little sore but today it felt relatively good. During the match, it slowly got a little worse. I think there is some time for recovery that I lack that I can recover, but for the most part, I am managing. “
