Osaka reflects on whirlwind week in New York

By Nina Pantic Sep 01, 2020
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Osaka reflects on whirlwind week in New York

ByNina Pantic

Published Sep 01, 2020

Naomi Osaka has had a wild week in New York. The world No. 9 played some incredible tennis, and took a huge stance in protest, picking up a lot of global attention and effectively hitting pause on a day of play at the Western & Southern Open.

She'd end up taking the court for her semifinal against Elise Mertens on Friday, and winning. But then on Saturday ahead of the final against Victoria Azarenka, she withdrew with a hamstring injury.

The whirlwind is far from over for the 22-year-old as the US Open got underway on Monday. She had just a short period of time to regroup, both physically and mentally. No matter what happens next, she's learned a lot about herself in a very short amount of time.

Osaka reflects on whirlwind week in New York

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"I feel like, for me, my biggest worry is the people around me," she said. "So whenever I make a decision, I always think about the effort that my team put in, and I don't want it to affect anyone negatively. But after having conversations with them and everything, they all really supported me."

Osaka made the decision to not take the court on Thursday to stand with the Black Lives Matter movement and NBA, MLB, WNBA and MLS efforts to boycott for change.

"So I guess what I learned about myself is that I have to trust the people that I surround myself with more and not worry too much about the things that I can't control," she said.

The 2018 champion opened her US Open campaign against compatriot Misaki Doi on Monday night. She'd be challenged in a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win. Afterwards, she was asked about her mask, which read "Breonna Taylor".

"I just want to spread awareness," Osaka said. "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, just spreading awareness."

Check out the latest episode of the TENNIS.com Podcast from New York with Ajla Tomljanovic:

Osaka reflects on whirlwind week in New York

Osaka reflects on whirlwind week in New York

Subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tennis-com-podcast/id339875623 | https://open.spotify.com/show/2ihq5SJ8N72EsloO9XunbW