Naomi Osaka will play in delayed Western & Southern Tournament

Naomi Osaka announced Wednesday that she would not be playing in the Western & Southern Tournament in New York, saying that there are "much more important matters at hand" than tennis while criticizing the "continued genocide of black people" in the United States. However, after "lengthy consultation with the WTA and USTA", Osaka has chosen to play in the tournament, which has been postponed until Friday to "bring more attention to the movement."

"As you know, I pulled out of the tournament yesterday in support of racial injustice and continued police violence," Osaka said in a statement. "I was (and am) ready and prepared to concede the match to my opponent. However, after my announcement and lengthy consultation with the WTA and USTA, I have agreed at their request to play on Friday. They offered to postpone all matches until Friday and in my mind that brings more attention to the movement."

Osaka is a two-time major champion and was the first tennis player to threaten to withdraw from the Western & Southern Tournament in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisc., over the weekend. 

But several other athletes in nearly every sport have also refused to play in games as a form of protest. The NBA has postponed two days of playoff games after players briefly threatened to end the season before agreeing to continue. While MLS and MLB both had to postpone games as a result of players refusing to take the field, the NFL has had several teams cancel practices this week.