August 15, (THEWILL) – World number two tennis player Naomi Osaka has announced that she will be donating her prize money from the Western & Southern Open to Haiti after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the country on Saturday morning, leaving no fewer than 304 people dead.
The tennis star took to Twitter and posted this message via her official account: “Really hurts to see all the devastation that’s going on in Haiti, and I feel like we really can’t catch a break. I’m about to play a tournament this week and I’ll give all the prize money to relief efforts for Haiti. I know our ancestors blood is strong we’ll keep rising.”
The 23-year-old, who most recently did not shine in the single women’s tennis event in Tokyo, Japan, is of Japanese and Haitian descent, and goes into the Western & Southern Open, the Cincinnati, Ohio-based tournament as the number two seed. It will be her first tournament after that round of 16 Olympics elimination.
The four-time Grand Slam singles winner has only the year’s Australian Open title, which she added to the three Grand Slams she previously had, to highlight her tennis performance this season and took on a lengthy personal break after the events of the French Open that focused on her mental health.
Her present decision to assist Haiti is by no means her first as Osaka has previously contributed to Haiti through her Play Academy, which partnered with GOALS Haiti, a grassroots organisation working to advance youth leadership through football and education to create stronger, healthier communities in rural Haiti.
In Cincinnati, Osaka got a bye into the second round, and she could potentially play Coco Gauff for a place in the next round. The tournament will run through Sunday, August 22. The U.S. Open, the year’s last major, will follow thereafter.
Osaka will hopefully compete at that Open as the defending champion after winning it for the second time in 2020, for her third Grand Slam victory.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
