naomi osaka
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Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka Eliminated from French Open
Add Serena Williams to a growing list of recognizable names to see an early exit from this year’s French Open. With the temperature topping 80 degrees in Paris, Williams, ranked 10th in the world, and rounding into form after an injury from earlier in the year, became the latest highly decorated player to flame out…
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Grand Slam: Naomi Osaka Is the Newest Sports Star to Sign with Nike
She was spotted wearing Adidas on the court as recently as March 22, but it’s official: women’s tennis Grand Slam tournament winner Naomi Osaka will be Nike’s next sports star. The tennis champion and athletic giant announced an endorsement deal late Thursday. The move came as a surprise to many sports and business insiders, as…
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Black Twitter Showers Naomi Osaka with Praise After Winning the Australian Open
Naomi Osaka is really fucking good at tennis. How good? This good. And in order to achieve her latest victory, Naomi Osaka tapped into her melanin magic and came from behind against Petra Kvitová in order to extend the match to a third set and claim her second consecutive Grand Slam. So guess who’s ranked…
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Japanese Company Learns That, Despite Its Best Efforts, Naomi Osaka Is Not a White Anime Character
Japanese noodle company Nissin has pulled an ad egregiously whitewashing Haitian-Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka. In the animated ad, the tennis star—who has proudly and repeatedly claimed both sides of her mixed-race heritage—essentially had her skin bleached of all its melanin. Osaka’s nose has also been narrowed, and her hair reduced to a short, wavy…
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The Shook Ones: Umpires Reportedly Considering Boycott of Serena Williams' Matches
In the wake of Saturday’s U.S. Open finals debacle, in which Serena Williams demanded an apology from umpire Carlos Ramos after what she saw as an unfair call (and was subsequently punished for doing so), tennis umpires are reportedly considering collective action, including a boycott of Williams’ future matches. Two reports coming from out of…
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Competition, Compassion and the Stories We Don't Hear About Black Women Athletes
By now, many of us know the story of what happened at the Women’s U.S. Open finals on Saturday. During the match between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, in which Osaka was ahead, Chair umpire Carlos Ramos pushed Williams towards the breaking point, personally and with regard to the match, with a series of mystifying…
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Play Like a Girl: Serena Heads to the US Open Finals with Love from Family and Opponent Naomi Osaka
Game recognizes game: That’s the message we’re getting from 20-year-old tennis phenom Naomi Osaka, who had only one thing to say to her upcoming US Open Finals opponent, Serena Williams, who is undoubtedly also one of her idols: “I love you,” she sheepishly laughed. While this sweet missive may not save Osaka, who is of…