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Strong Women
Naomi Osaka being heckled at the Indian Wells Open is just another depressing episode
3 years ago
1 min read
After tennis player Naomi Osaka was heckled this weekend, she recalled the 2001 final when Serena and Venus Williams were similarly booed by the crowds and the effect that had. When are we going to acknowledge that Black women aren’t overreacting about this kind of jibe?
Over the weekend, former world No 1 Naomi Osaka was knocked out of the Indian Wells Open. As if losing in the second round wasn’t hard enough, she then went on to be heckled by a woman in the crowd who yelled, “Naomi, you suck.”
“So what?” you might think. Most top sportspeople probably get heckled from time to time; we certainly know that footballers do when they perform badly. But Osaka’s case feels slightly uncomfortable. In fact, almost every time the Japanese tennis player hits the headlines these days, it’s because of another incident in which she’s been belittled by the press or tennis officials.
In response to the heckle, Osaka addressed the crowd after the match. Breaking down in tears, she recalled memories of Serena and Venus Williams being heckled at the same venue in 2001. “I’ve been heckled before – it didn’t really bother me,” she said. “But [to be] heckled here – I’ve watched a video of Venus and Serena getting heckled here and if you’ve never watched it you should watch it. I don’t know why, but it went into my head and got replayed a lot.”
She’s referring to the time when the Williams sisters were due to compete against each other during the semi-finals, and Venus pulled out with an injury that some fans believed to be fake. Serena was repeatedly booed during the subsequent final, while she and her family were subjected to continuous racial abuse in the stands – an incident that Serena has since described as the “darkest moment of her career”.
And that’s the thing, isn’t it – these incidents, for Black and mixed-race women, aren’t just one-offs. It’s not just some bozo yelling something for banter. Whether or not that specific woman meant to upset Osaka, it’s impossible to take away the fact that tennis – a sport which up until recently was overwhelmingly white – is hostile to Black women. The Williams sisters are pioneers within the sport, not just in terms of winning every cup going, but also in exposing the rampant racism from fans, officials and media.
Osaka has spoken frequently about the issues she’s faced since going pro, much of which has been met with derision from men like Piers Morgan and John McEnroe. No doubt, it’s easier to write someone off as being weak or hypersensitive than to join the dots and recognise that tennis has a problem.
For more sports news, follow Strong Women on Instagram (@StrongWomenUK).
Images: Getty
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