Following the NBA’s lead, Naomi Osaka protest was short-lived but she made sure to send a subtle but powerful message when she returned to the U.S. Open.
The tennis player was rocking a black face mask with Breonna Taylor’s name printed in bold, white letters.
After her victory, she donned the mask for her post-game interviews. “It’s quite sad that seven masks isn’t enough for the amount of names, so hopefully I’ll get to the finals so you can see all of them,” she said.
Naomi is hoping to raise awareness by wearing the names of victims who lost their lives at the hands of the same law enforcement who is supposed to protect and serve us.
“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,” Osaka said according to the Associated Press.
“For me, (it’s about) just spreading awareness. I feel like the more people know the story, then the more interesting or interested they’ll become in it.”
Naomi Osaka made a similar political move in 2018 during the U.S. Open. She wore a mask with seven different names on it.
