Naomi Osaka To Skip Western & Southern Open Semis Amid Protests Over Wisconsin Shooting

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka is opting to skip the Western & Southern Open semi-final on Thursday amidst the growing number of athletes and sports organizations that have started to stage a protest on the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

"As many of you are aware, I was scheduled to play my semi-finals tomorrow. However, before I am an athlete, I am a black woman,” Osaka wrote.

The Japanese star was supposed to play Elise Mertens in the said round before she announced her withdrawal. It is not yet known whether she still intends to compete in the U.S. Open that is set to begin in the same quarantine bubble on Monday.

“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. Watching the continued genocide of Black people at the hand of the police is honestly making me sick to my stomach.

"I'm exhausted of having a new hashtag pop up every few days and I'm extremely tired of having this same conversation over and over again.

"When will it ever be enough?"

Osaka is a former world No. 1 tennis player and the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles. And while she represents Japan, the 22-year-old traces her roots in Haiti as well and has spent most of her childhood in the U.S. where she lived with the family of her father, who is Black.

It was as if a domino effect took place on Wednesday after the Milwaukee Bucks triggered a sudden halt of the NBA Playoffs by not showing up in their series game against the Orlando Magic. Not long after, the WNBA, MLS, and MLB have also announced the suspension of their respective games.

Osaka is a two-time Grand Slam champion, having won the 2018 U.S. Open and the 2019 Australian Open to become the first player to seize back-to-back major titles since Jennifer Capriati in 2001.