Naomi Osaka says people need to keep pressing in regards to the ongoing Peng Shuai situation, calling for top stars to continue to use their voice.
Following her second round Australian Open win over Madison Brengle, Osaka was again asked about Peng, and whether it was a moral or a personal issue for her.
“You know, I would say it’s a little bit of both,” she told reporters.
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“I’m not the type of player that interacts with a lot of players. Not in like a bad way, I just find it really hard to come out of my shell.
“Besides that point, if I see her, I would say hi to her and stuff like that. You know, you don’t really – this is a hard one to describe.”
Osaka said that if the roles were reversed, she would want people to continue to try and get to the bottom of a strange series of events.
The Open is the first grand slam tournament to be held since Peng made accusations of sexual assault against a senior Chinese official on social media.
The post, in early November, was quickly removed, as concerns grew for the safety of the 36-year-old – she later retracted the claims.
“I feel like if I was in her position, I would want people to care for me too. So it’s like one of those things,” Osaka said.
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“Like I imagine myself in her shoes, and in that way, it’s a little bit scary. But you kind of want to lend your voice and you want people to, you know, ask the questions.
The bizarre situation has been playing out for months, with players being repeatedly asked about it during the Open – Osaka herself was asked following her first round win as well.
Nick Kyrgios weighed into the discussion earlier this week, saying “something’s obviously not right there.”
“Obviously if that’s still something that’s ongoing it needs to be found out and… we need more awareness about it. We can’t forget about her.
“We have to use our platforms as athletes. I think we’re obligated to do that, we’re obligated to speak up and get to the root of what’s happening and why it’s happening.”
Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka said on Wednesday that she wanted to speak to Peng directly.
“Hopefully we will get to hear from her personally at some point. I think that’s the goal, the main goal right now.”
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