Naomi Osaka began her 2025 WTA season at the ASB Classic in Auckland against Lina Glushko, but her opponent's nationality led to protests during the match.
Israel has been in the headlines since Hamas launched an attack on October 7th, 2023, that killed over 1,000 people. The act was condemned across the world as an act of terror that led to the loss of so many civilian lives.
However, Israel's response to that attack has caused much controversy and also led to condemnation. More than 45,000 people are estimated to have died in Gaza in a response many feel has broken international law and not done enough to protect civilians.
Opinions differ about whether politics and sport should ever mix. Those questions have also been asked in relation to the Ukraine war, which has raged since Russia's illegal invasion of the country in February 2022.
Wimbledon controversially banned Russian and Belarusian (the Belarusian government supports Russia's actions in Ukraine) players from the prestigious tournament in 2022. That led to the ATP and WTA not awarding ranking points at the event.
There have also been protests at tennis tournaments in relation to that conflict. An example was a woman watching a match between two Russian players at the Cincinnati Open while draped in a Ukrainian flag, which led to her being removed from the stadium.
Osaka was focused on getting her 2025 season off to a positive start after a mixed return to the sport in 2024. The Japanese star was away on maternity leave in 2023 before making a comeback to the WTA Tour, although she could soon take another break from tennis.
Although the four-time Grand Slam champion was not at her blistering best against Glushko, she still secured a comfortable 6-4, 6-4 triumph against the world No. 220 and never looked in any danger throughout the match.
However, many will remember the match for a brief stoppage because of protestors chanting against Israel's actions in Gaza, an action taken deliberately to coincide with an Israeli player competing.
Glushko has vocally supported Israel's actions in Gaza since Hamas' attack on October 7th, frequently posting on social media about it. She also served in the Israeli Defense Forces for two years.
Journalist Ben Rothenberg reported on the protests during the match. He posted a video of the chant being used by the protestors, which led to a brief stoppage before play resumed. The chants were taking place outside the stadium rather than inside.
"Here's what the protests sound like in the stands in Auckland. 'Israel's a terror state' seems to be one of the refrains."
"Play only stopped for a couple minutes in the end before resuming. Officials told players the protestors were outside the grounds and thus not readily removed by tournament security (Auckland's stadium is right up against a city street), but the shouting seems to have subsided."
Those protestors probably believe that Israeli players should be competing under a neutral banner in the same way Russian and Belarusian ATP and WTA stars have since the Ukraine war started.
Here's what the protests sound like in the stands in Auckland. "Israel's a terror state" seems to be one of the refrains. x.com/Raiva91/status…
Lina glushko es de Israel y está jugando el atp de Auckland, New Zealand. Hay protestas contra Israel afuera del court.
