Naomi Osaka was selected by The Associated Press as the Female Athlete of the Year, based on her 2020 on-court results and political activism.
The former world No.3 Osaka withdrew from the Western & Southern Open semifinals in protest over Jacob Blake shooting (after lengthy consultation with the WTA and USTA she re-entered the tournament which was shut down for a day because of the Japanese’s action) and in each of her seven matches en route to the 2020 US Open title she wore a different facemask to honor victims of police brutality and racial injustice.