The Japanese has faced backlash for her vehement support of the protests that followed George Floyd's death, and she's hitting right back.
Naomi Osaka has been a prominent voice on social media since the death of George Floyd, and the two-time major champion, just 22 years of age, wants the world to know that she is not content just “sticking to sports.”

The times call for action and Osaka is vehemently behind the cause of #BlackLivesMatter, period.

Osaka has faced—and railed against—a backlash on social media after throwing her support behind the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests, and she has no plans to stop.

I hate when random people say athletes shouldn’t get involved with politics and just entertain. Firstly, this is a human rights issue. Secondly, what gives you more right to speak than me? By that logic if you work at IKEA you are only allowed to talk about the “GRÖNLID” 🤷🏽‍♀️?

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) June 4, 2020

“I’m vocal because I believe in the movement and want to try to use my platform to facilitate change,” Osaka told Reuters. “George Floyd’s murder and the situation generally in America has had a big impact on me. Being silent is never the answer. Everyone should have a voice in the matter and use it.”

Osaka told Reuters that she marched in Minneapolis and also in Los Angeles, where she currently resides. Those who follow her on social media where already aware.

Osaka also made comments about former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick to Reuters.

“Colin has been putting this message out since 2016. It took a pandemic, an economic crisis and a torturous murder on camera, all at the same time, for people to really hear him,” she said. “If the NFL wants to show that they really care the first thing they should so is take a knee together and give Colin his job back.”

Osaka seems to take pleasure in calling out the ignorance of those who troll her on social media.

“I’m more sad for them than myself—to be so hateful and ignorant can’t be an easy way to live life.”

World No. 30 says two things out of tennis' control are key to resuming 2020 season.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova says resuming the 2020 season depends on two issues out of tennis' control.

The 30th-ranked Russian says because tennis is an international sport, easing national travel bans and reducing the prospect of player quarantines upon entering foreign controls are essential if the sport is to resume in this current COVID-19 climate.

More: Right Knee Surgery Ends Federer's 2020 Season

"For the moment, we don't know if there will be tennis in 2020, it's very uncertain," Pavlyuchenkova told L'Equipe. "We make a lot of phone calls to inquire about the evolution of the situation. It is very thorny and strange for everyone.

"First, we have to see if all travel bans are lifted. Everyone should be able to travel from any country. Then you don't have to be around fourteen when you get somewhere. These are the two main questions.

"The problem with tennis is that it is an international sport. Players come from all over the world. It's possible that it will replay. We are trying to resume the season in August, but there are things we do not control."

Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

The USTA closed its White Plains office and cut jobs in a cost-cutting move. Coronavirus, and the economic fallout that has come as a result, continues to affect the lives of hard-working tennis people.

The USTA made drastic cuts on Monday, eliminating 110 jobs and closing its White Plains, New York office.

Player Development, Facilities, and USTA-U have been merged into community relations.

According to ESPN’s Peter Bodo some employees who were 50 years or older and who had put in 15 years or more for the USTA were offered 40 weeks of severance pay if they elected to choose a “voluntary departure.”

The 110 jobs amount to approximately 20 percent of the workforce.

According to Bodo, the USTA's redevelopment plan has been in the works since 2018, but was sped up after the pandemic hit.

The organization's commitment to a $20 million relief package to help grassroots and tennis facility operators, along with anticipated losses from a COVID-compromised US Open, fueled the urgency of the shake-up.

"We have an opportunity to reimagine the structure of the organization to better serve the tennis community in the United States," Michael Dowse, USTA chief executive officer and executive director, said in a statement. "This new structure allows the USTA to be more agile and more cost effective."