Osaka gets virtual boost from mum in an unusual setting

NEW YORK • Fans and large entourages are out at the US Open amid the Covid-19 pandemic, but the players are still being cheered on, albeit virtually.

Naomi Osaka received plenty of encouragement and advice from her mother Tamaki after her second-round win, although it came in the form of emojis printed on a sheet of paper.

After beating Italy's Camila Giorgi 6-1, 6-2, the 2018 US Open champion was led to a courtside big screen to take a video call from her mother in Florida, which momentarily caught the 22-year-old off guard.

What followed was a slightly awkward exchange between mother and daughter amid audio connection issues, before Tamaki held up a sheet of paper with her message.

"I wasn't expecting it (the call) to happen. It was a surprise. Apparently my sister told my mum to do it," the Japanese told reporters, before deciphering her mother's message.

"There were four lines. Thumbs up fire, which is like 'Good job'. There was like a Twitter bird, whatever. She was saying, 'Don't go on social media, get some sleep'. Then, 'Drink a lot of green juice, get some rest'. And 'I love you'.

"It was kind of a tech issue because normally, I'm able to talk to her quite soundly. It would be kind of bad if all our conversations ended up like that. Definitely was a tech issue."

Karolina Muchova had also interacted with a special guest immediately after beating Venus Williams on Tuesday, after connecting virtually with Australian actress and comedian Rebel Wilson.

"It was a bit odd because I remember I was watching Muchova playing Venus, and then I saw that she got a call... from Rebel Wilson. I was like, 'Oh that's kind of cool'," Osaka added. "Yeah, definitely wasn't expecting my mum to call today."

The two-time Grand Slam champion also continued her social justice awareness campaign, wearing a new mask that read Elijah McClain, a black American who died last year after being placed in an illegal chokehold by a white police officer.

Former world No. 1 Osaka, who earlier this week told reporters she had seven different masks emblazoned with the names of police brutality victims and would wear them interchangeably, said: "The biggest thing I can gain off of international viewers watching is for them to, like, Google the name, research the story, find out exactly what's going on.

"Racism isn't just an American thing; like, it's all over the world. It affects people literally every day."

REUTERS