Osaka named one of TIME's "100 Most Influential People"

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Osaka named one of TIME's "100 Most Influential People"

ByCody Fitzpatrick

Published Sep 23, 2020

The first time Naomi Osaka made the TIME "100 Most Influential People" list, in 2019, it was in the Pioneers category, and Chris Evert penned a blurb citing her influence as a global role model.

For 2020, Osaka has been named to the list once again, this time under the Icons heading.

"Seven matches. Seven masks. Seven names," wrote WNBA star Maya Moore. "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 honor the preciousness of Black and brown lives."

Of course, this refers to Osaka's second US Open win, during which she walked out for each match wearing a mask honoring the name of a different victim of police violence or similar injustices: Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Philando Castile and Tamir Rice.

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At 22 with three Grand Slams, worldwide stardom and an impossible-to-ignore voice, Osaka has made herself not just one of the best-known figures in tennis, but someone whose impact reaches all over the world.