Sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson is speaking out in defense of tennis star Naomi Osaka after facing backlash for her decision to step away from playing tennis.
“Leave her aloneeee, doing what best for HERSELF IN FRONT OF THE WORLD WHICH IS A CRUEL PLACE TO THE REALEST PEOPLE!!!!” Richardson wrote in her Instagram story.
In the post, she included a repost of a Bleacher Report tweet announcing, “Naomi Osaka falls to Leylah Fernandez in the third round of the US Open.”
Osaka broke down in tears during her post-match interview. She admitted to struggling and announced her plans to take a break from tennis.
“I feel like I’m at this point where I’m trying to figure out what I want to do, and I honestly don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match,” she said during the interview. “I think I am going to take a break from playing for a while.”
