Australian Open

Burning Question: Can Osaka's off-court motivation continue on court?

Along with joining the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis, she figured out what she wanted from her career: to use her talents on the court to make a statement off of it.



Burning Question: Can Osaka's off-court motivation continue on court?

Few athletes in any sport made as much of their time during the game’s spring shutdown as Naomi Osaka. Along with joining the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis, she figured out what she wanted from her career: to use her talents on the court to make a statement off of it. Spurred on by the chance to broadcast the names of African-Americans who had died at the hands of police, she won the US Open and embraced her platform.

Will Osaka be able to find that kind of inspiration halfway across the world? The last time she won the US Open, she backed it up by winning the Australian Open. If she plays close to her best, she could do it again.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 08: Naomi Osaka of Japan walks in wearing a mask with the name of George Floyd on it before her Women’s Singles quarter-finals match against Shelby Rogers of the United States on Day Nine of the 2020 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 8, 2020 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images )
© Getty Images

Getty Images