Naomi Osaka won the 2020 US Open in style and had some great words for the late Kobe Bryant
Naomi Osaka picked up her third Grand Slam by winning the 2020 US Open.
The 22-year-old won her first Grand Slam at the 2018 US Open and she became a champion after two years.
It was a miracle that the organisers were able to hold the event after the coronavirus pandemic, but this was a fantastic slam.
She faced off against Victoria Azarenka in the final and seemed down and out at one point. The Belarusian raced to a 6-1 win in the first set and was leading 2-0 in the second.
While Azarenka looked great for a Grand Slam win, Osaka dug deep and went on a crazy run to win the match 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Calling out to greatness
The new champion celebrated after the win and thanked a great for powering her through the tournament.
Osaka was shocked when the great Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in January 2020. Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others were killed in the tragedy.
That affected many sport-stars across the world and Osaka has shared tributes to the former LA Lakers star several times.
This time, she claimed that a #8 jersey of Kobe from his Lakers days was helping her through this.
I wore this jersey every day after my matches. I truly think it gave me strength. Always 💛💜 pic.twitter.com/R1pTUCaCgq
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) September 13, 2020
Bryant is one of the greatest basketball players ever and was taken away far too early.
The 2020 US Open has also been an emotional journey for Osaka. She took a decision to wear the names of several blacks killed in violence in the US over shootings by the police mostly.
Osaka has been one of the most vocal sport-stars speaking about the Black Lives Matters movement. However, she didn’t let the emotions get the better of her on the court. She made a huge statement by wearing the masks but was a worthy winner of the competition.
NBA great LeBron James also congratulated the new champion:
GREAT COMEBACK!! Congrats @naomiosaka! 🙏🏾✊🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 12, 2020
Osaka made a statement on and off the court, and it was great to see a sportsperson take a strong stand in these difficult times.
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