Naomi Osaka of Japan celebrates with the championship trophy after winning women's singles final match against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, New York, September 12, 2020. /CFP
Three-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan remains committed to participating the Tokyo Olympics which was postponed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Osaka herself on Sunday.
"I missed out on the last one. Playing in Tokyo would be very special to me," said the 23-year-old, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Naomi cited public approval as a key factor that will decide whether the Olympics will happen or not this year. According to a poll by Kyodo News Agency earlier this month, 80 percent of the Japanese public were opposed hosting the Olympics this year. That's 20 percent growth from last December.
"My concern would be the general safety of everyone else because you're opening the country. Everyone is flying in from different places. I would just want the public to feel safe," said Osaka who now lives in Florida. "I will stay in my room for two weeks to play the Olympics."
Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a forehand in men's singles match against Dominic Thiem of Austria in the 'A Day at the Drive' exhibition tournament at Memorial Drive in Adelaide, Australia, January 29, 2021. /CFP
ATP No. 2 Rafael Nadal wanted to play in the Olympics as well but he said medical experts should have the final say in this. Moreover, Nadal also believes that a hard quarantine ahead of the Games will lead to extra difficulties.
"What we have to do is just follow the instructions of what the people who really have the right knowledge of all this stuff give to us. Combining our tour with another 15 days of quarantine to play Olympics. It looks difficult to fix it in our calendar," said Nadal.
Simona Halep of Romania hits a return in women's singles match against Ashleigh Barty of Australia in the 'A Day at the Drive' exhibition tennis tournament in Adelaide, January 29, 2021. /CFP
WTA No. 9 and World No. 9 Petra Kvitova and No. 2 Simona Halep both expressed their will to attend the Tokyo Olympics. "I hope that the Olympics really will happen, for sure. For me, the Olympic Games is very important," said Kvitova who called the Olympics "the fifth Grand Slam." She won women's singles bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
"The main goal is a medal at the Olympics, to go there and be able to compete at the highest level," said Halep who played in London in 2012 but skipped Rio because of the Zika virus.
Japan is currently under a state of emergency, trying to fight the pandemic. Its borders are almost entirely closed.