The initial “punishment” for refusing media was a $15,000 fine.
She was completely okay with paying that, and said it was “worth it” to her, to pay the fine and just play tennis.
Only after that statement from her & her team did the Powers That Be decide the original stated “punishment” was not harsh enough (likely because she was a Black woman who wasn’t doing as she was told, because this ABSOLUTELY is about race) and tell her that she might not even be allowed to play at all.
And she still refused to be intimidated- to jump because they told her to.
I stand with her, but she shouldn’t have to do any of this.
And yes- notice how people on the right and racists will say “shut up and play” over and over… until someone (particularly a Black woman) literally says “I would very much like to shut up and just play”, and then it’s “we’re going to fine you if you don’t talk, and not even let you play”.
We are so proud of Naomi Osaka, Haitian and Japanese, who just won the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tennis event of 2019! At age 21, she wins $4.1M for winning the Australian Open bringing her career earnings to $11.8M. Naomi will now be ranked the #1 woman’s tennis player in the world, and the first Asian female player to ever be ranked #1! In the last eight years, Naomi becomes the only woman’s tennis player other than Serena Williams to win back to back Grand Slam events having won the US Open at the end of 2018, and now the Australian Open at the beginning of 2019! We love Naomi and wish her and her family continued blessings, grace, and abundance!!
[NAOMI OSAKA: Professional tennis player, winner of two US Opens (2018, 2020). At the 2020 US Open, Naomi wore seven masks printed with seven names of Black Americans killed by police brutality or racial injustice.]
