[ad_1]
Naomi Osaka stated that she pulled her hamstring on Friday throughout her match in opposition to Elise Mertens..© AFP
Japan’s Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from Saturday’s Western & Southern Open ultimate resulting from a left hamstring harm, that means Victoria Azarenka takes the title by walkover. “I’m sorry to have to withdraw today with an injury,” stated Osaka, who’s at the moment on the Monday night time schedule on the US Open the place she is because of play fellow Japanese Misaki Doi in first spherical. “I pulled my left hamstring yesterday in the second set tiebreak and it has not recovered overnight as I had hoped.”
Osaka had defeated Belgium’s Elise Mertens within the semi-final to arrange the championship match in opposition to two-time Australian Open winner Azarenka, from Belarus, in the identical New York Covid-19 quarantine bubble the place the US Open begins on Monday.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, of Haitian and Japanese heritage, had threatened to not play within the semi-finals to protest the police taking pictures of African-American Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Osaka stated she was “sick to her stomach” and “exhausted” by repeated violence in opposition to blacks by US police, echoing a transfer by the NBA Milwaukee Bucks in boycotting a playoff recreation for a similar purpose.
Promoted
Osaka’s choice prompted the WTA and ATP to postpone all semi-final matches to Friday, which impressed Osaka to vary her thoughts and play, though she was apprehensive different delayed gamers could be upset.
“This has been an emotional week and I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of support,” Osaka stated.
Topics talked about on this article
[ad_2]
Source hyperlink