Nationwide — Naomi Osaka defended her determination to host a Black tennis gamers’ dinner forward of the French Open. She co-hosted the occasion with Taylor Townsend to spotlight inclusion, shared expertise, and connection off the court docket amid on-line criticism.
Naomi Osaka and Taylor Townsend organized a non-public dinner in Paris, France, throughout French Open week. The gathering introduced collectively Black gamers and tennis figures to spotlight neighborhood past competitors.
The dinner, often called “The Black Celebration,” came about at Soho Home Paris with help from CCG Social. Friends included Gaël Monfils, Coco Gauff, Christopher Eubanks, and Asia Muhammad.
On the occasion, Osaka stated, “To be a minority in a sport like tennis makes most days really feel actually remoted, however once I see different gamers that appear to be me, I really feel a way of fellowship that can’t be described.”
Townsend additionally defined the objective behind the dinner, saying, “It’s essential for us to return collectively as a result of this sport is of course very isolating and egocentric. I really feel prefer it’s essential to interrupt that mould, help one another outdoors of the game and away from the courts, and construct real friendships that final past the court docket.”
Osaka has constantly spoken about identification and inclusion all through her profession. The Paris dinner continued that focus by highlighting shared experiences amongst Black athletes on tour.
On Could 23, 2026, Osaka shared images from the occasion on Instagram and described it as a second to understand Black gamers in tennis. The put up sparked criticism on-line, with some questioning why the dinner was restricted to sure athletes.
She responded the subsequent day on Threads, writing, “To start with I do love everybody for who they’re irrespective of their race + ethnicity, (I’m actually half Japanese lol). I can solely converse from my experiences in my very own life although, rising up as a tennis participant I didn’t see many individuals that seemed like ME and I really feel prefer it’s essential to have fun them. I don’t understand how else to inform you this, I actually seen them on a regular basis and by no means had a problem with it in any respect. To the individuals who ask this query I wish to ask you this query too, ’What’s it about POC getting collectively that unsettles you a lot?’”
Osaka additionally stated she won’t apologize for recognizing the achievements of athletes of colour. She stated, “This isn’t about exclusion, it is a celebration about how far we’ve got come.”
