Two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka has been named to TIME magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world for the second year in a row, thanks in part to her further as both an influential activist and tennis champion this summer.
From sparking a pause in play at the Western & Southern Open to raise awareness of the shooting of Jacob Blake, to wearing seven masks donning the names of seven victims of police violence over the course of her title-winning run, Osaka fully embraced her status as a global superstar and used her platform in more ways than one over three weeks in New York.
Writing for TIME, basketball star and Olympic gold-medalist Maya Moore, who herself has been lauded for her own political activisim since taking a sabbatical from the WNBA in 2019, said she was inspired by Osaka's efforts.
"I was inspired by how beautifully she wove her dominant athletic performance into another narrative," Moore wrote. "It took incredible focus, courage and intentionality to carry herself the way she did. To use her gifts and talents, her voice and her platform, to honour the preciousness of Black and brown lives.
"She reminded us that we can all resist the excuses that guard us from giving love. Whatever power we have, the most lasting and life-giving way we can steward that power is by using it to lift others up. Especially those who aren’t exactly like us.
"Because we need each other. We need the fullness of humanity. Sports can uniquely beckon this truth.
“If somebody like Naomi can have the courage to use what she has to call people higher, then we can too.”
The 22-year-old was also named to the list in 2019, where she was lauded for her tennis successes by 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert.
