Naomi Osaka keeps victims of racial injustice in spotlight with US Open masks
- Player wore covering with George Floyd’s name before latest win
- ‘I’m a vessel, in order to spread awareness,’ says title favourite
Naomi Osaka continued to highlight racial injustice in the United States by wearing a mask displaying the name of George Floyd, the black American who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck in Minneapolis in May, before her quarter-final win at the US Open. It was the fifth of seven face coverings the former champion has brought to Flushing Meadows.
After Osaka’s 6-3, 6-4 victory over Shelby Rogers, ESPN showed video messages from Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, and Marcus Arbery Sr, the father of Ahmaud Arbery, two of the five names she has worn on face masks at the grand slam.
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