Murray praises Osaka for using her platform to promote change

Great Britain's Andy Murray singled out Naomi Osaka as an athlete who has used her position to force social change, a movement that more sports stars have participated in following a tumultuous year of unrest.

In a column written for the BBC, Murray praised Osaka for her activism. The WTA World No.3 withdrew from her semifinal match at the Western and Southern Open in August in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement, after the brutal killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.

"Some athletes have huge platforms and can help bring about awareness to an issue,” Murray said. "As an individual athlete you have the opportunity to make that decision not to play yourself. Naomi obviously felt extremely strongly about what had happened.

It has been great to see her and other athletes playing an important role and speaking out.”

Murray also commented on the issue of sexism, which he believes still exists in the sport of tennis. The three-time Grand Slam champion referred to his appointment of retired WTA star Amelie Mauresmo as his coach in 2014.

“I experienced sexism in sport when I worked with Amelie Mauresmo and that was when it first came to my attention," recalled Murray. "Then I noticed it a lot more because maybe I’m looking out for it. Maybe it is not extremely overt, but it is there.

It’s something I would like to see continue to change. Some people think it just needs time, but why should we wait?”