(CNN) Naomi Osaka's continued excellence has been celebrated at the 2021 Laureus World Sports Awards. The 23-year-old was named Laureus Sportswoman of the Year for 2021 after winning her second US Open title, but it wasn't just her success on the court that contributed to her claiming the accolade. During her run to grand slam success at Flushing Meadows and in the midst of the Black Lives Matter campaign, Osaka wore a different face mask for every match, each one featuring the name of a Black victim of alleged police or racist violence in the USOsaka wears a face mask displaying Ahmaud Arbery's name after winning her women's singles third round match against Marta Kostyuk at the 2020 US Open. After seeing so many of her "role models" win the award, Osaka said it "means a lot" to her to be able to collect it herself. "Regarding my activism on the court, I think it is important to use my voice, because for me I feel like I often hold back a lot and worry about what people think of me, but you know if you have a platform it is very important you use it," she explained.

Source: CNN May 06, 2021 18:33 UTC