Naomi Osaka was told her ‘black card was revoked’ for representing Japan in Olympics instead of US

Japanese-Haitian tennis star Naomi Osaka has hit back at critics of her decision to represent Japan at the Olympics this months, revealing that she was told her ‘black card was revoked’ after she announced that she would not be playing for the US in Tokyo.   

The 23-year-old, who was born in in Chūō-ku, Osaka to a Japanese mother and Haitian father, was raised in the US but has been competing under the Japanese flag since she was a teenager.

So while she insists it shouldn’t come as a surprise that she will continue to represent Japan at the Olympic Games this summer, the star says she has faced backlash for the decision.

‘I’ve been playing under the Japan flag since I was 14. It was never even a secret that I’m going to play for Japan for the Olympics,’ she says her Netflix docu-series, which premiered today.

‘I don’t choose America and suddenly people are like, “Your black card is revoked.” And it’s like, African American isn’t the only black, you know?’ she went on. 

‘I don’t know, I feel like people really don’t know the difference between nationality and race because there’s a lot of black people in Brazil, but they’re Brazilian.’ 

Naomi moved to New York from Japan at age three, but always played professional for Japan.  

Her mother, Tamaki, told the Wall Street Journal: ‘We made the decision that Naomi would represent Japan at an early age.

‘She was born in Osaka and was brought up in a household of Japanese and Haitian culture. Quite simply, Naomi and her sister Mari have always felt Japanese so that was our only rationale. 

‘It was never a financially motivated decision nor were we ever swayed either way by any national federation,’ she added.

Plus, Naomi is no longer an American citizen. She retained dual American and Japanese citizenship for her entire childhood, but Japanese law mandates that anyone with dual citizenship born after 1985 must choose one by their 22nd birthday.

So ahead of turning 22 in 2019, Naomi publicly announced that she would be renouncing her US citizenship.     

‘It is a special feeling to aim for the Olympics as a representative of Japan,’ she told the Japanese broadcaster NHK. ‘I think that playing with the pride of the country will make me feel more emotional.’ 

The highest-paid female athlete in the world, Naomi also took the opportunity in her Netflix series to talk about her decision to withdraw from the French Open in May after refusing to take part in her press obligations, citing her struggles with depression and anxiety.   

‘Before I won the US open, so many people told my Dad I would never be anything,’ she said.

‘I think the amount of attention I get is kind of ridiculous — no one prepares you for that. I always have this pressure to maintain this sweet-pea image, but now I don’t care what anyone has to say.

In May, Naomi announced that she would not fulfill any media obligations at the French Open, releasing a statement on Twitter in which she cited her mental health as the reason for her decision not to speak to press. 

‘I’m writing this to say I’m not going to do any press during Roland Garros,’ she said.

‘I’ve often felt that people have no regard for athletes mental health and this rings very true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one. 

‘We’re often sat there and asked questions that we’ve been asked multiple times before or asked questions that bring doubt into our minds and I’m just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me.

‘I’ve watched many clips of athletes breaking down after a loss in the press room and I know you have as well. I believe that whole situation is kicking a person while they’re down and I don’t understand the reasoning behind it.  

‘Me not doing press is nothing personal to the tournament and a couple journalists have interviewed me since I was young so I have a friendly relationship with most of them.

‘However, if the organizations think that they can just keep saying “do press or you’re gonna be fined”, and continue to ignore the mental health of the athletes that are the centerpiece of their cooperation then I just gotta laugh. 

‘Anyways, I hope the considerable amount that I get fined for this will go towards a mental health charity,’ she concluded.

Naomi was, in fact, fined $15,000 by officials for refusing to appear in front of the media after her first-round match, with organizers saying she would face ‘more substantial fines and future Grand Slam suspensions’ if she continued her boycott.

So on May 31, she announced that she was stepping away from the tournament entirely.  

‘I’m gonna take some time away from the court now, but when the time is right I really want to work with the tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans,’ she said.

Revealing her struggles with depression and anxiety, she said: ‘I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris.’       

The star’s sponsors, including Nike and MasterCard, backed her decision. Her multiple sponsors have helping her to rake in $55.2 million in the past 12 months. 

Only $5.2 million came from tennis winnings, while the rest came from endorsement deals with the likes of Nike, Beats by Dre, MasterCard, and Nissin.