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During the US Open, tennis star Naomi Osaka has honored the victims of police brutality by wearing masks with their names.
Osaka was filled with emotions after receiving video messages from Ahmaud Arbery and Trayvon Martin’s parents thanking him for paying tribute to their children.
Naomi Osaka has become a young tennis sensation
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Osaka is only 22 years old and has already accomplished a lot during her tennis career. Originally from Japan, Osaka has lived in the United States since she was three years old and began training for tennis at that age. At the age of 16, she began to make a name for herself when she defeated former US Open champion Samantha Stosur on her WTA Tour debut at the 2014 Stanford Classic.
At the beginning of 2016, she was one of the 100 best players in the world. She made her first WTA final at age 18 when she competed at the Pan Pacific Open. Osaka would end up as runner-up losing to Caroline Wozniacki. The following year, she earned her first top 10 win when she defeated No. 6 Angelique Kerber at the US Open.
Naomi Osaka winning multiple major tournaments
In 2018, Osaka won the Indian Wells Open, and that was the first professional title. She only lost one set during the tournament. After winning at Indian Wells, she defeated her childhood idol, Serena Williams, at the Miami Open. Osaka continued her success at the US Open, where she reached the final and faced Williams for the second time in 2018. As in the first match, Osaka defeated Williams for the second time and won her first Grand Slam title.
Osaka became the first Japanese woman to contest a Grand Slam singles final and the first Japanese Grand Slam singles champion. After winning the US Open, Osaka placed in the top 10. Osaka finished 2018 as the leader of the WTA Tour in prize money, earning nearly $ 6.4 million. Going into 2019, it was number 4 in the world.
She continued to climb the ranks in 2019. When she competed at the Australian Open, she came fourth seeded and was one of 11 players in the contest for the world’s number one ranking. Osaka reached the final, where she faced Petra Kvitova. She won the Australian Open and became the first woman to win consecutive Grand Slam titles since Serena Williams in 2015. Osaka also became the first Asian player to rank No. 1 in singles. She would lose her No. 1 ranking after struggling after winning the Australian Open.
Naomi Osaka showing her support for victims of police brutality in 2020
Athletes around the world have shown their support for victims of police brutality in many ways. Whether wearing jerseys with different messages or kneeling during the national anthem, the athletes make sure the world knows they fully support them. Osaka joined the support and wore masks bearing the names of Ahmaud Arbery and Trayvon Martin, two young men who were killed by the police.
He has also worn masks with the names of Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain and George Floyd. Travyon Martin’s mother and Ahmaud Arbery’s father thanked Osaka for showing the support of the victims, including their children. When Osaka saw the video, she was excited and said she would continue to raise awareness. Osaka is just another athlete who uses his platform to let people know how he feels and wants to spread awareness as much as possible.
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