Naomi Osaka recently received major backlash for hosting a party for the Black tennis players amid the French Open. Shortly after the hate online, she shared a letter in her defense, which was supported by her fans, who shut down the outrage with their positive opinions.
Osaka was last seen in action at the Italian Open, where she lost to Iga Swiatek in the round of 16. The latter claimed a 6-2, 6-1 win, bringing the Japanese journey in Rome to an end. Now, she is gearing for her French Open opening round, which will take place on May 26 against Laura Siegemund.
Just before kickstarting her campaign, she hosted a party for all the Black tennis players, including Coco Gauff, Gael Monfils, Taylor Townsend, and more. After she posted pictures from the party, she received a major backlash online, which eventually led to her sharing a lengthy message on her defense. Explaining her mindset, she wrote on Threads:
“You know I’m seeing a little bit of- ‘Why can’t you love everyone for all skin tones?’ and ‘what if someone had an all white party?! First of all I do love everyone for who they are no matter their race + ethnicity, (I’m literally half Japanese lol). I can only speak from my experiences in my own life though, growing up as a tennis player I didn’t see many people that looked like ME and I feel like it’s important to celebrate them. There are multiple things I will apologize for in my life but celebrating being black and appreciating who we are will never be something I would consider saying sorry for. Thanks,” wrote Noami Osaka.
Here is the full message:
Moments after she shared her explanation, fans came in support of her, emphasizing that she doesn’t have to defend herself for throwing a dinner party. One of the users on X wrote:
“Naomi should not have defended having her own dinner party for whomever she wanted to. White people have dinner parties ALL THE DAMN TIME without any Black people present.”
Calling the outrage a double standard, one of the followers commented:
“The fact she even had to explain this is the double standard.”
Another fan penned a comment in support of her, writing:
“Nobody says shit when all white players get together. Nothing to see here ffs.”
Lauding her acknowledgement, another user on X wrote:
“She ate with acknowledging how there are always all white dinner parties and no one blinks twice to acknowledge the innate exclusion of that … yet it’s immediately and issue for white people when there’s no caucus representation.”
Appreciating Naomi Osaka’s courage, one of the fans chimed in:
“Naomi is a perfect example of what courage is all about. She’s well aware of who she’s getting the most support from and is showing her appreciation. I always liked her. Now I love her more than ever.”
Naomi Osaka shared glimpses of her party for the Black players ahead of the French Open
Before starting her run at Roland Garros, Naomi Osaka hosted a party for the Black players and offered a glimpse of the fun times she shared with them on social media. Players including Gauff, Monfils, Townsend, Asia Muhammad, and Christopher Eubanks were invited to the party.
Taking to Instagram, she posted a bunch of pictures from the party, and in the first one, they were seen posing in front of the table while donning casual yet chic outfits. She shareD several more moments from the dinner table and penned a caption that read:
“The black party (RG edition) 🖤 Side note : my first time ever co hosting a dinner/party and let me tell you, no better company to share time with.”
Naomi Osaka opened her 2026 season at the Australian Open, where she had to walk over in the third round due to a left abdominal injury.
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