"There's tarnishing your legacy and then there's giving unsolicited opinion about woman of color's choices" - Tennis fans criticize Navratilova over Naomi Osaka comments
Martina Navratilova recently landed in hot water with tennis fans for her comments on Naomi Osaka's participation in the upcoming Wimbledon Championships. With the tournament not awarding ranking points this year, the Japanese had hinted that she might skip the event during her press conference at the French Open.
Osaka pointed out that she was more concerned about her ranking at the moment, meaning that her primary focus is on events where she stands to gain points. The four-time Grand Slam champion is not the only player with that view, as many players have echoed a similar sentiment.
Matherine report that Osaka:
- did not criticise the decision to remove ranking points but said she's really rankings motivated & playing Wimbledon for no points might not make sense for her
- mentioned she has incurred injuries on grass before & is a bit scared of it
But appearing in a recent interview with the ever-controversial Piers Morgan, Martina Navratilova criticized the former World No. 1's statements. Waxing lyrical about the history of Wimbledon, the 18-time Major winner claimed that she did not understand how players could ponder skipping such a prestigious tournament.
Tennis champ Martina Navratilova says she "doesn't understand the mentality" of Naomi Osaka saying she may not compete in Wimbledon.
"It's kind of nice if you can walk away from a potential £2m pay day. Most people don't have the luxury."
@martina | @piersmorgan | #wimbledon https://t.co/yrFgYnWUj4
Furthermore, the American remarked that she would love to sit down with Osaka and explain what Wimbledon means to the majority of the tennis world, a statement that did not sit well with fans on social media.
Many users saw it as condescending for Navratilova to talk down to the 24-year-old, while others denounced the 65-year-old for trying to control the personal decisions of a "woman of color".
"There's tarnishing your legacy and then there's going on Piers Morgan to give your unsolicited opinion about a woman of color's choices," one account wrote.
There's tarnishing your legacy and then there's going on Piers Morgan to give your unsolicited opinion about a woman of color's choices...
@PiersUncensored @Martina @piersmorgan Oh Martina, how I loved thee. You were a great player, you were even great on Will & Grace. I thought you were funny and charming. But this? Bashing random players for this and that and judging them when they exist in a world so different from yours...not cool. Not. Cool. At. All
"This isn't a surprise to anyone that has followed Martina. Going on Piers Morgan to criticize Naomi Osaka? Hmmmmmm," another fan posted.
This isn't a surprise to anyone that has followed Martina. Going on Piers Morgan to criticize Naomi Osaka? Hmmmmmm twitter.com/PiersUncensore…
@Martina you literally went on a man who has dragged Osaka through the mud in the past to uplift that platform and give him now more credentials to do so because you’re there?? What’s wrong with you? twitter.com/piersuncensore…
"Why are white people in a black woman's business like... get hobby or something..." one user tweeted.
why are white people in a black woman's business like... get hobby or something... twitter.com/PiersUncensore…
if i had to take a shot for every stupid thing that was said in these 2 minutes i would have alcohol poisoning by now twitter.com/PiersUncensore…
why would naomi osaka care about earning $2m in wimbledon all she needs to do is breathe…shes literally the top earning female athlete for a few years now twitter.com/piersuncensore…
"We all know Naomi Osaka is trying to build her ranking back up from top 50, so clearly in this part of her career points matter. Literally anyone in tennis knows this?! Especially if she wants to be seeded for USO," another user posted.
@martina we all know Naomi is trying to build her ranking back up from top 50, so clearly in this part of her career points matter. Literally anyone in tennis knows this?! Especially if she wants to be seeded for USO. twitter.com/PiersUncensore…
Her statement is not a coded one that needs to be deciphered; and her sentiment is also shared by other players.
If you can’t understand it, the least positive thing you can do is to respect it. twitter.com/PiersUncensore…
Naomi Osaka didn't whine about anything, she was asked the question and said "I'm the kind of player that gets motivated by seeing my ranking go up. I think the intention was really good but the execution was all over the place."
Piers Morgan Uninformed is grotesque twitter.com/PiersUncensore…
Naomi Osaka has never been past the third round at Wimbledon
Naomi Osaka has made only three main-draw appearances at Wimbledon to date, with her best result being third-round finishes in 2017 and 2018. In 2017, Osaka fell to 10th seed Venus Williams, while she lost to 11th seed Angeligue Kerber in 2018.
In 2019, the four-time Grand Slam champion was seeded second but exited in the very first round, losing to Yulia Putintseva. The Japanese's decision to skip the tournament therefore makes a lot of sense, since she can focus her entire attention on the US Open instead.
Osaka is much more successful at Flushing Meadows, where she has won the title twice -- in 2018 and 2020. With enough ranking points, the 24-year-old might even be seeded at the tournament this year, thus increasing her chances of a fairly easy draw.