One day after saying she would not participate in the Western & Southern Open semifinals, Naomi Osaka has determined she will in reality take part. She deliberate to opt out of the match to protest the "continued genocide of Black people at the hand of the police" as gamers and groups round sports activities did the identical.
Osaka's agent says she will participate in the match, dealing with off towards No. 14 Elise Mertens on Friday and Osaka launched an announcement to the Guardian.
The two-time Grand Slam champion said:
"As you know, I pulled out of the tournament yesterday in support of racial injustice and continued police violence. I was (and am) ready and prepared to concede the match to my opponent. However, after my announcement and lengthy consultation with the WTA and USTA, I have agreed at their request to play on Friday. They offered to postpone all matches until Friday and in my mind that brings more attention to the movement. I want to thank the WTA and the Tournament for their support."
The finals had been moved from Friday to Saturday.
Athletes have been outspoken in their motion in direction of equality and racial justice. The deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the police taking pictures of Jacob Blake have sparked protests and activism across the nation and from athletes who're utilizing their platform to increase awareness of racial injustice and police brutality in the United States.
Osaka joined the dialog and wrote on Instagram on Wednesday, "...as a black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis. I don't expect anything drastic to happen with me not playing, but if I can get a conversation started in a majority white sport I consider that a step in the right direction."
All NBA and WNBA video games had been postponed on Wednesday, began by the Milwaukee Bucks going sitting out their Game 5 first-round matchup with the Orlando Magic. Three MLB video games and 5 MLS video games had been additionally not performed on Wednesday because the motion unfold throughout sports activities.
This yr's Western and Southern Open is going down on the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center -- web site of the US Open -- in New York, to cut back journey for gamers taking part in the Grand Slam occasion that follows.
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