Naomi Osaka Wins the U.S. Open & Credits Quarantine with Giving Her Time to Reflect
Naomi Osaka has won her second U.S. Open, after beating Victoria Azarenka in the final on Saturday.
In an interview after the match, Osaka said, "The quarantine definitely gave me a chance to think a lot about things ... I would definitely say it's been an important few months."
Throughout the U.S. Open, Osaka wore face masks in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, featuring the names of Black people who have been killed by police.
Congratulations are in order as Naomi Osaka won her third Grand Slam title on Saturday when she beat Victoria Azarenka in the U.S. Open. This marks Osaka's second win at the U.S. Open, as the rising tennis star previously took home the title in 2018.
According to BBC News, Osaka opened up about the impact the pandemic has had on her training and career. The 22-year-old explained after her win, "The quarantine definitely gave me a chance to think a lot about things, what I want to accomplish, what I want people to remember me by." She continued, "I would definitely say it's been an important few months."
During the competition, Osaka wore seven different face masks, each featuring the name of a Black person who was killed by police. In an interview with ESPN, Osaka explained, "It's quite sad that seven masks isn't enough for the amount of names." She continued, Hopefully, I'll get to the finals and you can see all of them."
Naomi Osaka says she has seven masks to wear throughout the @usopen, each with a different name featured, and she hopes she’s able to wear each one.
“It’s quite sad that seven masks isn’t enough for the amount of names.” pic.twitter.com/fXQRKVsFtx— D'Arcy Maine (@darcymaine_espn) September 1, 2020
The tennis star had the opportunity to wear all seven masks as she reached the final, highlighting the murders of Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Philando Castile, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, and Tamir Rice.
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