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 1 number one in the world now? Guess who has two Grand Slam titles by the age of 21? Guess who’s prepared to carry the mantle and usher in a new era of Black Girl Magic?
That would be Naomi.
“I had dreams that I would win this tournament,” Osaka said in her subsequent press conference. “Every time I have a dream, somehow I accomplish it. Still, I feel like it’s a very strange moment, like it’s not necessarily real.”
Well, it’s definitely real and Twitter was flooded with praise for the superstar athlete. From legends:
To fellow competitors:
To fans of her prowess:
“I’m aware of all the work I put in,” said Osaka. “I know all the sacrifices every player does to stay at this level. In my opinion, [my success] didn’t feel fast. It felt kind of long.”
And she’s just getting started.
Congrats again, Naomi!
DISCUSSION
Sorta problematic how her Japanese heritage is being erased, especially after she goes to such lengths to emphasize her multi-ethnic background. She holds Japanese citizenship and the majority of her sponsors are/were(she’s picked up quite a few new ones recently) Japanese.
Considering how much she’s had to struggle with Japanese cultural perceptions, do you really think erasing her Japanese heritage and proclaiming her “black” is acceptable? Mixed Japanese kids experience tremendous racism from the Asian community.
I saw a tweet mentioning that the media was erasing her black heritage, but I see the opposite. I see someone of mixed ethnicity that has been co-opted by other groups, a victim of the pervasive “one drop” mentality that is omnipresent in racial politics.