“Why Isn’t the Richest Athlete Speaking Out”: WTA Player Hits Out at Naomi Osaka

Published 02/25/2021, 12:30 PM EST

Over the last four years, Naomi Osaka has become the dominant face of women’s tennis. Osaka’s recent triumph at the 2021 Australian Open cemented her position as the most consistent player on the WTA Tour.

Due to her massive following, Osaka has also become the highest-paid female athlete in the world according to Forbes. However, the trait that makes Osaka stand apart is her on-court activism, which has been praised by her fans.

Article continues below this ad

WTA player questions Naomi Osaka

Recently, British tennis player Tara Moore hit out at Osaka for not voicing her opinion of providing better facilities to players competing at ITF tournaments.

Moore criticized Osaka when she answered a fan’s question on why the WTA wasn’t working to improve the financial condition of players. In her reply, Moore questioned the 4-time Grand Slam champion instead of not speaking over the issue despite her elder sister, Mari Osaka, playing at the ITF tournaments.

My question is why isn’t the richest athlete speaking out about the ITFs her sister is currently playing?
— Tara Moore (@TaraMoore92) February 25, 2021

“My question is why isn’t the richest athlete speaking out about the ITFs her sister is currently playing?” wrote Moore, on Twitter.

Article continues below this ad

In fact, Moore also tweeted in reply to another post mentioning the prize money of various events on the men’s and women’s tour. The picture on the post depicted the multiple challenger tournaments on the men’s tour whereas there being no such events on the women’s side.

I just can’t understand how ZERO top women players don’t see a problem with this & never speak up??Week after week you see 25ks for W stacked like 80/100ks. This isn’t just an ITF issue anymore the WTA need to step in & help create challengers like the ATP 🤷🏽‍♀️ #wta #atp #tennis https://t.co/4XLJ7dTbQ3
— Tara Moore (@TaraMoore92) February 25, 2021

Article continues below this ad

The ATP Challenger events are the second-highest tier of tennis competition, below the ATP Tour. Hence, after looking at the post, Moore expressed her concerns about the need of having challenger events on the women’s tour and urged the WTA to create such tournaments without terming it as an ITF issue.

The 26-year-old seemed baffled over the silence of all the top women’s players and their inability to understand the problem with the current state of affairs.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Kshitij Tayal is a tennis author at EssentiallySports. Having played district-level tennis competitions, Kshitij is also a tenured journalist of the sport with over four years of experience. At EssentiallySports, he pens down some thought-provoking pieces on players and tournaments across the ATP and WTA.

“Why Isn’t the Richest Athlete Speaking Out”: WTA Player Hits Out at Naomi Osaka

WTA player questions Naomi Osaka

Trending

‘RIP’ – Heartbroken Brother of John McEnroe Mourns ESPN Legend’s Tragic Death Who Last Tweeted About Coco Gauff

Serena Williams’ Husband Alexis Ohanian Gushes Over Her Pink Attire as Part of Nike’s Latest Endeavor

Darwin Blanch: How Father’s Relentless Efforts for His Brother Ended up Becoming a Boon for Rafael Nadal’s Opponent

Where Is Venus and Serena Williams’ Father ‘King’ Richard Now? Everything to Know about His Whereabouts

Do Darwin Blanch’s Siblings Play Tennis? Everything to Know About the Young American’s Power-Packed Family