“Your black card has been revoked”

Professional tennis player Naomi Osaka stated that she faced strong opposition for choosing to play for Japan instead of the United States, and some criticism focused on her game.

Osaka discussed her decision to play for Japan in her new jersey Netflix Documentary series. She was born in Chuo Ward, Osaka. Her mother is Japanese and her father is Haitian.She grew up in America

“I have been playing under the Japanese flag since I was 14. It has never been a secret that I want to play for Japan. Olympic Games,” Osaka said in the series premiered on Thursday.

Osaka will compete for East Asian countries Olympics this summer This will be held in Tokyo, Japan.

However, she said that she received some opposition because of this decision, and Some people mentioned her ethnic heritage As part of the criticism.

“‘I don’t choose the United States, and suddenly people will say,’Your black card is revoked.’ It’s like, African Americans are not the only black people,do you know? “Osaka said.

“I don’t know, I think people really don’t know the difference between nationality and race, because there are many blacks in Brazil, but they are Brazilians,” she continued.

Osaka moved to New York when she was three years old. Her father’s parents live on Long Island.Tamaki Osaka, Osaka’s mother, was interviewed Wall Street Journal In 2018, her daughter played for the country where she was born.

“We decided to let Naomi represent Japan at a very young age,” her mother said.

“She was born in Osaka and grew up in Japanese and Haitian cultural families. It’s very simple, Naomi and her sister Marie have always felt Japanese, so this is our only reason,” Tamaki Osaka said.

“‘This was never an economically motivated decision, and we have never been swayed by any national federation,” she said.

The Netflix documentary series about Osaka is now available. Speaking of the show, the streaming site said: “This intimate series tells about Naomi Osaka exploring her cultural roots and harnessing her multifaceted identity as a tennis champion and emerging leader.”

According to data from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Osaka currently ranks second in the world in tennis singles rankings. She ranked first on January 28, 2019.

In February of this year, Osaka defeated a veteran and a tennis legend Serena WilliamsThe 39-year-old Osaka defeated Williams 6-3, 6-4 in the Australian Open semifinals to advance to the final. She went on to defeat Jennifer Brady in the final.

“I don’t know if there are children here today, but I’m still a kid watching her game,” Osaka said after the game with Williams. “To play against her on the court is a dream for me.”

Weekly newspaper Naomi Osaka has been asked to comment.