Naomi Osaka, the world's highest-paid female athlete, says the voices of prominent athletes can be more influential than those of politicians and is determined hers will be heard on the subject of racial injustice.
The two-time Grand Slam champion has faced a backlash on social media after throwing her support behind the Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died while pinned face down by three Minneapolis police officers on May 25.
The 22-year-old Osaka, who has a Japanese mother and Haitian father but grew up and lives mostly in the United States, says she has no intention of backing down and hopes to help drive real and permanent social change.