Naomi Osaka opens on fear she experienced when told there might be active shooter



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Naomi Osaka opens on fear she experienced when told there might be active shooter
Naomi Osaka opens on fear she experienced when told there might be active shooter (Provided by Tennis World USA)

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka admitted she was extremely frightened after the alarm went off at Barclays Center as it triggered a lot of negative emotions in such a short time. On Saturday night, Osaka was at Barclays Center for a boxing match.

At one moment, the alarm went off and people started yelling there was an active shooter. Osaka and others from the crowd huddled in a room, closed the door, and were hoping for the best. In the end, it turned out to be a false alarm of shooting.

"I'm not sure when it happened but over many years I became accustomed to news about mass shootings," Osaka said in a note posted on her Twitter. "It felt as though we just kept repeating the same terrible cycle to the point where I felt my brain turn a switch and start preparing for possibilities in case I would be in a similar situation.

I used to love going to the movies, now on the rare occasion I do go I always feel my heart clench and my palms become sweaty every time I see a person enter the theater while the movie is ongoing."

Osaka: I wouldn't want those emotions to anyone

"My experience the other day made me think a lot, I was lucky enough to have a security guard with me and I cannot imagine having to navigate through that situation by yourself, let alone being a child and it not being a false alarm," Osaka added.

"This feeling of familiarity towards these frequent devastating situation might be exclusive to people living in America but the emotions I experienced in those few minutes I was waiting in that room is something I wouldn't want anyone to go through.

I read an article the other day how bulletproof backpacks are selling more and more and that made me cry so hard. I cannot imagine a future if this continues, something has to evolve and hopefully it will be for the better because should not be deemed normal, this is insanity."

Naomi Osaka