TV pundit Daniela Hantuchova has expressed her admiration for Naomi Osaka for speaking out against social injustices, describing her as a “wonderful inspiration”.
The 23-year-old Osaka took a stand against police brutality in the United States last year as she was vocal about the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake.
Her off-court activism did not have a negative impact on her tennis as she went onto win her third Grand Slam, the 2020 US Open at Flushing Meadows, in September.
Hantuchova hailed Osaka for showing courage on and off the court.
“I think it just shows her mental strength because to be brave and go out there and speak your heart out, that’s going to take a lot of energy out of her,” she told Sky Sports.
“And being able to back it up with the results she had on the court in the States at the same time shows what a wonderful young grown-up lady she has become.
She’s definitely very strong on the court, off the court and again another wonderful inspiration in women’s tennis.”
