Naomi Osaka arrived on court on Monday for her opening US Open game wearing a mask bearing the name of Breonna Taylor, the African-American nurse shot dead by police who raided her apartment in Kentucky in March.
By the time the two-week-long US Open is over, Osaka said that she hopes to have honored the memory of other victims of racial injustice.
“For me, I just want to spread awareness,” Osaka said after her 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win over Japanese compatriot Misaki Doi.
Photo: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY
“I’m aware that tennis is watched all over the world and maybe there is someone that doesn’t know Breonna Taylor’s story,” Osaka added. “Maybe they’ll Google it or something. For me, just spreading awareness. I feel like the more people know the story, then the more interesting or interested they’ll become in it.”
Osaka, of Haitian and Japanese heritage, said that she has six other masks bearing the names of black people killed by police that she hopes to wear throughout the Grand Slam.
“I have seven and it’s quite sad that seven is not enough for the amount of names,” Osaka said. “Hopefully I’ll get to the finals and you’ll see all of them.”
The 22-year-old fourth seed has spoken out repeatedly in the wake of protests sweeping the US following the death of George Floyd during a confrontation with police in May.
Osaka said that she is increasingly comfortable in her role as athlete advocate.
“A lot of people ask me if I feel more stressed out ever since I started speaking out more,” she said. “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?”
Last week, Osaka was forced to withdraw from Saturday’s final because of a nagging problem with her left hamstring.
There was little sign of the injury hampering her against Doi, although Osaka revealed after her win she was not at full fitness.
“Physically, I feel like I could be better,” she said. “But I can’t complain because I won the match. For me, it’s somewhat interesting. I feel like every Grand Slam I play is a different story. I think it’s just a matter of getting through it. I’m just going to see what happens.”
MEN’S SINGLES
Pre-tournament favorite Novak Djokovic marched into round two as he launched his bid for an 18th Grand Slam with a straight-sets win.
The world No. 1 dispatched unheralded Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 under floodlights at an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City.
The Serbian superstar took just 23 minutes to win the first set before laboring to a narrow victory in an hour-long second set.
With Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer absent, Djokovic is looking to close the gap on them in the race for the all-time men’s singles Grand Slam record. Djokovic has 17, behind Nadal with 19 and Federer with 20.
Earlier, fifth seed Alexander Zverev was made to work hard as he progressed into round two following a three-hour-long tussle with 2017 finalist Kevin Anderson.
The German, seeking his first Grand Slam title, took the first set on a tie-break 7-6 (7/2) before losing the second 7-5.
Ultimately, the 23-year-old proved too much for the South African veteran, winning the third set 6-3 and the fourth 7-5.
Afterward, he shared a moment on a big screen with his tennis-playing brother Mischa Zverev who was beamed into the stadium from his sofa at home.
“I am actually quite happy with a first round like that,” said Zverev, who reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open earlier this year. “Kevin is not someone you usually play in a first round. I am extremely happy to be through.”
Taiwan’s sole representative Jason Jung, the world No. 122, fell on the first day of the men’s singles to Federico Coria.
US-born Jung started brightly and raced into a two-set lead, before the Argentine rallied to level the match and Jung was forced to retire in the fifth set with the score at 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 2-0.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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