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"Well, what was the message you got? I feel like the point is to make people start talking"

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka has been praised for her response to a question regarding Black Lives Matter after winning the US Open.

Osaka won the tournament after beating Victoria Azarenka on Saturday two sets to one, claiming her third Grand Slam trophy.

Throughout the tournament, Osaka wore different masks sporting the names of African Americans who were killed by police.

The seven masks worn over Osaka’s seven matches featured the names of Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Philando Castile, and Tamir Rice.

Shortly after Osaka’s tournament win, ESPN reporter Tom Rinaldi asked the 22-year-old, “You said from the beginning you had seven matches, seven masks, [and] seven names. What was the message you wanted to send?”

“Well, what was the message you got? [That] was more the question,” Naomi responded.

“I feel like the point is to make people start talking,” she continued.

“What was most gratifying about the awareness you raised?” Rinaldi then asked.

“Well for me, I’ve been inside of the bubble so I’m not really sure what’s really going on in the outside world,” Osaka admitted.

“All I can tell is what’s going on on social media, and for me I feel like the more retweets it gets…that’s so lame, but you know, the more people talk about it,” she added.

On Twitter, many showed their support of Osaka and how she dealt with the question.

“I couldn’t be a bigger fan,” wrote The Black List founder Franklin Leonard.

“Thank you for turning the question back Naomi. Thank you for everything,” tweeted another social media user.

“What was so good about Naomi’s “well, what was the message you got?” response is, it immediately makes you reflect and ask yourself that question. The fact that it was so spontaneous!! She’s so smart! Love her!” Wrote another.

Last month, Osaka left the WTA tournament in New York over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.