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Japanese-Haitian Tennis Champion Naomi Osaka Visits Haiti!
Naomi Osaka visits Haiti! Tennis Champion and US Open winner Naomi Osaka landed in Haiti earlier today. She’s been the darling of people of Haitian descent everywhere. On social media, Naomi Osaka posts get Haitian Creole responses within a few seconds of their going live. This past September when she went against Serena Williams at the USA Open and was declared the champion, Haitian Twitter went crazy.
So, it isn’t much of a surprise that the tennis champ was doused with cheers, applause and whistles as she landed at the Port-au-Prince airport. Government officials, reporters, and other onlookers welcomed her like the queen that she is! Naomi seemed overwhelmed by the thick bouquet of roses that landed on her able hands. Reporters sporting cameras aimed to get a close-up shot.
When the 5.9 earthquake had hit Haiti early this Fall, the tennis champ had quickly turned to her Twitter account to send out a sympathetic message to her father’s island. “Just heard about the earthquake in Haiti. Sending all my love, thoughts and wishes,” she had tweeted.
Also on hand for the visit were several family members, including Naomi’s mother Tamaki Osaka. Naomi was born in the late 1990s to a Haitian father Leonard Francois, and grew up in the United States. Although Naomi embraces all the cultures that have made her who she is, her win last month led to a series of debates about double-nationality and identity.
The duration of Naomi’s visit in Haiti isn’t clear yet. Will she play a a tennis match in Haiti while visiting? Will she get to do some site-seeing? Stay tuned.
Photo Credit: Ticket Magazine/Amazan Photography
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