ADVERTISEMENT

ATP Pauses Tournament Play Over Blake Shooting in U.S.

Naomi Osaka Won’t Play in WTA Semifinal Over Blake Shooting

The USTA, ATP Tour and WTA have decided to pause tournament play at the Western & Southern Open on Thursday after the shooting of Jacob Blake, the tennis organizations say in a joint statement.

  • Play will resume Friday.
  • Naomi Osaka said earlier in a statement on Twitter that she will not play in her semifinal match at the Cincinnati Masters in response to the shootings of Blake and other Black people in the U.S. by police.
  • “And as a black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis,” she wrote.
  • The announcements come as teams from the NBA, MLB and MLS postpone their games to protest the police shootings.
  • Earlier, NBA, MLB Players Boycott Games to Protest Police Shooting (1)

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.