Martina Navratilova hails 'cool' Naomi Osaka: She is not someone you can dismiss as just a liberal

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has praised Japanese star Naomi Osaka, who was recently named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the year, for her powerful comments on equality and social justice.

According to tennisnow.com, Navratilova wrote in her column: “Naomi came to understand the power of fame well and learned how to use it for the greater good. How cool is that? She used her platform to raise awareness of violence against black Americans by the police and others and to foster the conversation about how to combat it.”

Navratilova felt Osaka’s gesture at this year’s US Open is proof that she has her heart in the right place. “By wearing seven masks at the US Open — with a new one for every round, each honouring a different black victim of police violence or a racist attack — Naomi made an extremely powerful statement,” she said. Navratilova explained how Osaka brought to the fore issues black people face in America: “Naomi’s not someone you can dismiss as just a liberal whatever. This wasn’t political. She was humanising the enormous problem of police violence against black people in America. This was about fairness. This was about human rights.”

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