“After my announcement on Wednesday and lengthy discussions with the WTA and the US tennis association USTA, I agreed to play on Friday,” wrote the 22-year-old, who has lived in Florida for a long time, in a statement: “You have offered postponing all the games and I think that has already drawn a lot of attention to the movement. Osaka also thanked the WTA and the organizers of the tournament for their support.
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In her first statement, Osaka wrote that “as a black woman, she feels that there are far more important things that require immediate attention than watching me play tennis.” She did not assume “that something drastic happens if I don’t play. But if I can get a discussion going in a predominantly white sport, I see that as a step in the right direction.”
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