"Suddenly I heard shouting and saw people running, I was so f**king petrified" - Naomi Osaka caught in potential active shooter situation in New York, confirms safety afterward
Naomi Osaka was among the high-profile names at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York for the much-anticipated WBA World Lightweight title clash between Gervonta Davis and Rolando Romero on Saturday.
As the clash came to an end, there were gunshots fired outside the arena, leading the crowd to fear that there might be an active shooter in the building.
The Japanese, along with the rest of the people in attendance, was forced to rush into a room inside the arena and take shelter. Osaka took to Twitter to share the traumatic experience, noting that she was "f**king petrified" at the time of the incident.
"I was just in the Barclays center and suddenly I heard shouting and saw people running, then we were being yelled at that there was an active shooter and we had to huddle in a room and close the doors, I was so fucking petrified man," Naomi Osaka wrote.
I was just in the Barclays center and suddenly I heard shouting and saw people running, then we were being yelled at that there was an active shooter and we had to huddle in a room and close the doors, I was so fucking petrified man.
Thankfully, no harm befell the four-time Grand Slam champion, who later posted an update saying that she got out safely. The 24-year-old hoped everyone else was lucky enough to share the same fate as well.
"I really hope everyone made it out safely, since I’m tweeting this we made it out ok," Naomi Osaka wrote.
I really hope everyone made it out safely, since I’m tweeting this we made it out ok.
Although it is still very much a developing story with no official reports on the situation having been released, it has since come to light that order has been restored at the stadium.
"Order inside Barclays seems to be restored. A man with a young child trying to exit out a different door said there were shots fired outside the front door," Sports Illustrated's senior writer Chris Mannix live tweeted.
Order inside Barclays seems to be restored. A man with a young child trying to exit out a different door said there were shots fired outside the front door.
Naomi Osaka could to be seeded at the upcoming US Open
On a lighter note, Naomi Osaka's fortunes on the tennis court are slowly but steadily turning around. Her first-round exit at the French Open notwithstanding, the 24-year-old has risen to as high as World No. 38 in the WTA rankings after dropping outside the top 80 earlier this year.
A runner-up finish at the Miami Open, where she fell to Iga Swiatek in the title clash, has been a major contributor to the Japanese's rise. The clay swing did not go as expected for the four-time Grand Slam champion, who played only two matches on the surface prior to the stint in Paris due to injury.
Sayōnara Naomi
Naomi Osaka is already out of @rolandgarros, bitten by 2019 semi-finalist Amanda Anisimova with an impressive 7-5 6-4 win https://t.co/27QHou9chA
With Wimbledon not awarding ranking points this year, the former World No. 1's participation in the tournament is in doubt. It could serve as a blessing in disguise for Osaka, who could make use of the time to participate in other events and build up her ranking so she may be seeded at the US Open in August.
Anisimova makes it two from two over Osaka at the slams this year, fittingly finishing the match with the sweetest backhand down the line.
High, high quality match. Osaka’s serve let her down, but in truth that was just a rough, rough draw.
Being unseeded at Roland Garros this year proved disastrous for the 24-year-old, as she was drawn to face off against 27th seed Amanda Anisimova in her opener. This is a fate she will try to avoid at Flushing Meadows, where she is a two-time winner.