Naomi Osaka responds to criticism over Sports Illustrated cover release

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Tennis star Naomi Osaka hit back after being criticized for appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.

The 23-year-old yesterday became the first black athlete to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. She shares the historical coverage with two other models – rapper Megan Thee Stallion and activist Leyna Bloom.

Osaka’s appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated followed reports in Vogue Japan, Vogue Hong Kong and Time Magazine. Additionally, she recently released a Netflix documentary about her career in tennis so far, and last week released a hit Barbie doll.

The quadruple Grand Slam winner retired from the tennis court in June after retiring from Roland Garros. She had chosen to avoid Grand Slam press conferences, a move that sparked an avalanche of debate and criticism. In response, Osaka withdrew from the tournament altogether in order to protect her sanity.

Osaka has now been criticized for appearing on magazine covers while stepping away from sports. Conservative commentator Clay Travis posted on Twitter: “Since saying she was too introverted to speak to the media after tennis matches, Naomi Osaka started a reality show, A Barbie, and is now on the cover. the SI swimsuit number.

Her post was echoed by former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, who wrote: “Let’s not forget the cover of (& interview in) Vogue Japan and Time Mag!” In a now deleted response, Osaka criticized Kelly for his lack of research.

“Since you are a journalist, I would have assumed that you would take the time to research what the deadlines are for magazines, if you had done that you would have found out that I had done all of my covers last year,” Osaka wrote to Kelly on Twitter.

“Instead, your first reaction is to come up here and spit out some negativity, do better Megan.”

Osaka is set to return to the tennis court this summer at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Japanese player is hoping to clinch a gold medal at home, even though she will have to compete in an empty Ariake tennis park due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Osaka has become one of the leading figures in women’s tennis after her decisive victory at the 2018 US Open. She won the Grand Slam again in 2020, also triumphing at the Australian Open in 2019 and earlier this year.

The star has also gained significant recognition as an activist. Before every game of the US Open last year, Osaka walked into Arthur Ashe Stadium wearing a mask bearing the name of a victim of racism and police brutality in the United States. As her race in the tournament was a winner, she got the opportunity to wear seven different masks in total.

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