"Your Black card is revoked" - Naomi Osaka on racist backlash she received for choosing to represent Japan in Olympics
In a recently released docuseries about her life, Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka opened up about her decision to represent Japan instead of the United States of America at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
The World No. 2 and four-time Grand Slam winner revealed that she received racial abuse for her decision.
"So I don’t choose America, and suddenly people are like, ‘Your Black card is revoked'," Osaka said in the docuseries.
"And it’s like, African-American isn’t the only Black, you know? I don’t know, I feel like people don’t know the difference between nationality and race because there’s a lot of black people in Brazil, but they’re Brazilian," she added.
Naomi Osaka was born in Japan in 1997, but moved to USA at the age of three. She represented Japan in a number of tournaments growing up, and as such believes that her decision to play for the country of her birth shouldn't have come as a surprise.
"I've been playing under the Japan flag since I was 14. It was never even a secret that I’m going to play for Japan for the Olympics," she said.
This is not the first time that Naomi Osaka has spoken about racial abuse. The 23-year-old has been quite vocal about the issue in the past, and has actively campaigned for social justice.
The docuseries, which takes us through Osaka's life since she won her first Grand Slam, is available to stream on Netflix.
Naomi Osaka to spearhead Japan's challenge at Tokyo Olympics
Naomi Osaka, along with Misaki Doi and Nao Hibino, will represent Japan in women's singles at the Tokyo Olympics. She will not be taking part in either women's doubles or mixed doubles.
The Olympics will be the first tournament Osaka will feature in since her withdrawal from Roland Garros. The Japanese pulled out of the claycourt Major in the wake of the backlash to her decision to skip press conferences at the event.
In a statement announcing her withdrawal, Osaka had opened up about her mental health struggles and how speaking to the media after matches added to her social anxiety. The Japanese later pulled out of the Wimbledon Championships as well.
She will now look to get back to winning ways at the Olympics. The 23-year-old will attempt to become the first Japanese player to win a tennis gold medal at the Games. Kei Nishikori came close when he won the bronze at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, defeating Rafael Nadal in the playoff.
Considering Naomi Osaka's ability to perform on the big stage coupled with the fact that she is playing in her home country, the odds seem to be on her side.