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By Giri Nathan
[vc_empty_space height="15px"]Tennis is currently in a bubble to seal itself against a pandemic, but it is always in a kind of perma-bubble, sealed off from the sociopolitical noise of the outside world. Right now there is no player better at popping that bubble than Naomi Osaka, who brought a conscience to the sport this week in “Cincinnati”–via–New York. After going down a set and a break to Anett Kontaveit, the fourth-seeded Osaka won her quarterfinal on Wednesday afternoon. A few hours later, the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks announced that they would not leave their locker room before a playoff game against the Orlando Magic. “We are calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand the officers be held accountable,” said the Bucks players in a statement, referring to a police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., and calling on their elected officials to take action. “For this to occur, it’s imperative for the Wisconsin State Legislature to reconvene after months of inaction and take up meaningful measures to address issues of police accountability, brutality and criminal justice reform.”
