Naomi Osaka
Drew Pavlou, left, and Max Mok show some of the 1,000 shirts they plan to hand out to patrons ahead of Saturday's women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. As he was being ejected for wearing a shirt with a Where is Peng Shuai? slogan, Max Mok saw an opportunity to amplify the message at the Australian Open. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Where is Peng Shuai? Australian Open T-shirts grab attention

By John Pye Jan. 28, 2022 12:24 AM EST

Masked spectators arrive for the first round matches at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)
Osaka, Nadal advance in Australia after Djokovic flies home

By John Pye Jan. 17, 2022 02:14 AM EST

Masked spectators arrive for the first round matches at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)
Australian Open Men Singles

Jan. 16, 2022 09:30 PM EST

Fans take a selfie with a photo of defending champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia ahead of first round matches at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. Djokovic was deported from Australia Sunday, Jan 16, after losing a bid to stay in the country to defend his Australian Open title despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)
The Latest at the Australian Open: 5th-seeded Sakkari wins

Jan. 16, 2022 09:29 PM EST

FILE - Simone Biles watches gymnasts perform at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Tuesday, July 27, 2021. Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka were not the first elite athletes to struggle with their own mental health, but their public admissions this year spotlighted a crisis not often addressed in the sporting world. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
Mental health among athletes spotlighted in tumultuous 2021

By Jenna Fryer Dec. 22, 2021 09:56 AM EST

FILE - Simone Biles, of the United States, talks to a member of her team during the artistic gymnastics women's final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Tokyo. Biles’ 2021 experiences, and how she talked about them, helped drive a robust conversation about athletes’ emotional health. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
2021 Notebook: For athletes, mental health took center stage

By The Associated Press Dec. 14, 2021 05:27 PM EST

FILE - China's Peng Shuai serves to Japan's Nao Hibino during their first round singles match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, on Jan. 21, 2020. The stand the women's professional tennis tour is taking in China over concern about Grand Slam doubles champion Peng Shuai's well-being could cost the WTA millions of dollars and end up being unique among sports bodies. The International Olympic Committee is preparing to host the Winter Games in Beijing in two months and has held calls with Peng to show she is doing well — but never raised the matter of the sexual assault allegations she made against a former Chinese government official. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill, File)
US Olympic board member pushes quiet diplomacy in Peng case

By Eddie Pells Dec. 08, 2021 09:49 AM EST

FILE - China's Peng Shuai waves after losing to Canada Eugenie Bouchard in their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 15, 2019. Out of public view for almost three weeks, Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai appeared Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021 in a live video call with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
IOC call with Chinese tennis star Peng raises more questions

By Stephen Wade Nov. 22, 2021 03:39 AM EST

Peng Shuai of China wipes her face during the women's singles match against Samantha Stosur of Australia on the second day at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, on July 3, 2018. China's Foreign Ministry is sticking to its line that it isn't aware of the controversy surrounding tennis professional Peng Shuai, who disappeared after accusing a former top official of sexually assaulting her. A ministry spokesperson said Friday that the matter was not a diplomatic question and that he was not aware of the situation. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland, File)
Column: Where is Peng Shuai? Why isn't the IOC speaking out?

By Paul Newberry Nov. 19, 2021 03:27 PM EST

FILE - Peng Shuai, of China, drops to her knees in pain during the semifinals of the 2014 U.S. Open tennis tournament against Caroline Wozniacki, of Denmark, on Sept. 5, 2014, in New York. Struggling to stay upright as suffocating heat and humidity drained her energy in the U.S. Open semifinals, Peng Shuai refused to give up. She paused between points to clutch at her left thigh and put her weight on her racket as if it were a cane. Helped off the court and diagnosed with heat stroke, doctors told her to quit. But Peng still came back for more. Six more points until she eventually collapsed to the ground and Caroline Wozniacki, her opponent in that 2014 match, came around the net to check on her. Only then, with her body pushed to the absolute limit -- maybe even beyond the limit -- did Peng retire from the match that marked the pinnacle of her singles career. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
Tennis trailblazer: Peng known for her grit on the court

By Andrew Dampf Nov. 19, 2021 07:46 AM EST

FILE - Peng Shuai of China returns a ball during the semifinal match against Shahar Peer of Israel, unseen, in the Guangzhou WTA Tour in Guangzhou in south China's Guangdong province Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. An email purportedly from Chinese professional tennis player Shuai that a Chinese state media outlet posted on Twitter has increased concerns about her safety as the sport's biggest stars and others abroad call for information about her well-being and whereabouts since her accusation about two weeks ago that she was sexually assaulted by a former top government official. (AP Photo, File)
Doubts over China tennis star's email raise safety concerns

By Huizhong Wu Nov. 18, 2021 07:29 AM EST

FILE - China's Shuai Peng plays a shot against Romania's Sorana Cirstea during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium, in Paris, France. Tuesday, May 30, 2017. Chinese authorities have squelched virtually all online discussion of sexual assault accusations apparently made by the Chinese professional tennis star against a former top government official, showing how sensitive the ruling Communist Party is to such charges. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
State media release attributed to Peng raises WTA concerns

Nov. 17, 2021 02:34 AM EST

FILE - Naomi Osaka, of Japan, speaks to the crowd after beating Marie Bouzkova, of the Czech Republic, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships in New York, in this Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, file photo. Osaka earned the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award for bringing awareness to social justice and mental health issues at the Annual Salute to Women in Sports on Wednesday night, Oct. 13, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
ITF Czech Republic F5, Men Singles

Oct. 14, 2021 12:17 PM EDT

FILE - Naomi Osaka, of Japan, speaks to the crowd after beating Marie Bouzkova, of the Czech Republic, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships in New York, in this Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, file photo. Osaka earned the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award for bringing awareness to social justice and mental health issues at the Annual Salute to Women in Sports on Wednesday night, Oct. 13, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
Allyson Felix, Naomi Osaka earn women's sports awards

Oct. 14, 2021 11:58 AM EDT

Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, reacts after scoring a point against Matteo Berrettini, of Italy, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis tournament early Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
US Open Lookahead: Djokovic, Zverev again in a semifinal

Sep. 09, 2021 11:04 PM EDT

Belinda Bencic, of Switzerland, reacts during the third round of the US Open tennis championships against Jessica Pegula, of the United States, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
The Latest: Bencic, Sakkari return to 4th round at US Open

Sep. 04, 2021 02:05 PM EDT

Ashleigh Barty, of Australia, reaches but is unable to return to Jil Teichmann, of Switzerland, during the women's single final of the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, in Mason, Ohio. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)
Barty, Zverev notch efficient wins in Cincinnati finals

Aug. 22, 2021 04:51 PM EDT

Naomi Osaka of Japan hits the ball to Cori Gauff of the United States during the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021 in Mason, Ohio.(Cara Owsley/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
Naomi Osaka tested by Gauff, wins 3-setter in tour return

Aug. 18, 2021 05:08 PM EDT

Heavy rain falls and suspends play in the second set of a match between Cameron Norrie and John Isner in the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament in Mason, Ohio, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. (Sam Greene/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
Well-rested Barty's match at Cincinnati delayed by rain

Aug. 17, 2021 08:05 PM EDT

Harris English hits on the third hole during the final round in the World Golf Championship-FedEx St. Jude Invitational tournament, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Matthew Wolff making progress on his happiness and outlook

By Doug Ferguson Aug. 17, 2021 07:29 PM EDT