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Vinicius Believes Fighting Racism Led to Ballon d’Or Defeat

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Real Madrid and RB Leipzig at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (AP)
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Real Madrid and RB Leipzig at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (AP)
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Vinicius Believes Fighting Racism Led to Ballon d’Or Defeat

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Real Madrid and RB Leipzig at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (AP)
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Real Madrid and RB Leipzig at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (AP)

Brazil and Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr said on Monday that he will keep on fighting racism even if his activism is what led to him not winning the Ballon d'Or, sources close to the player told Reuters.

Vinicius took to social media after finishing second in the prestigious award voting behind Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri.

"I will do it 10 times if I have to. They're not ready," Vinicius posted on X after his LaLiga side Real Madrid cancelled their plans to attend the ceremony in Paris, boycotting it in anticipation of the Brazilian not winning the men's award.

Asked what Vinicius meant with his post, his management staff told Reuters that he was referring to his fight against racism and that they believe it was what led to him not winning the award, saying that "the football world is not ready to accept a player who fights against the system."

The 24-year-old Brazil international has been subjected to racial abuse on several occasions in Spain, leading to at least two convictions for racist insults in pioneer cases in the country.

Real also won the men’s club of the year award, and their manager Carlo Ancelotti was named men’s coach of the year after winning the European and Spanish league double in a near perfect campaign last season.

France Football, which organizes the Ballon d'Or awards, was not immediately available for comment.

The awards are based on voting by a panel of journalists from the top 100 FIFA-ranked countries.

"FOOTBALL POLITICS X. My brother, you are the best player in the world and no award can say otherwise. Love you my bro," Real's Eduardo Camavinga posted on X, while several other teammates shared messages with photos of Vinicius saying "You are the best".

"I waited all year for Vini Jr to be deservedly recognized as the best player in the world and now they come to tell me that the Ballon d'Or is not for him?" Brazilian women's great Marta said in a video on Instagram.

Vinicius was instrumental in Real's Champions League-LaLiga double along with 21-year-old Jude Bellingham, who scored 19 goals in a sparkling debut campaign and helped England reach the Euro 2024 final, and came third in the Ballon d'Or ranking.

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Osaka Earns First Grass Win of the Season with Victory over Qualifier Danilovic

Japan's Naomi Osaka returns the ball to Russia's Ludmilla Samsonova during the Berlin WTA tennis tournament in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)
Japan's Naomi Osaka returns the ball to Russia's Ludmilla Samsonova during the Berlin WTA tennis tournament in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)
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Osaka Earns First Grass Win of the Season with Victory over Qualifier Danilovic

Japan's Naomi Osaka returns the ball to Russia's Ludmilla Samsonova during the Berlin WTA tennis tournament in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)
Japan's Naomi Osaka returns the ball to Russia's Ludmilla Samsonova during the Berlin WTA tennis tournament in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)

Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka fired 16 aces past Serbian qualifier Olga Danilovic to earn a 7-6(6) 7-6(4) victory at the Bad Homburg Open on Monday for her first win on grass this season less than a week before the start of Wimbledon.

The 27-year-old Japanese player, who had lost in the first round at her last two tournaments -- the French Open and the Berlin Open -- had won her first title in May in almost two years following a maternity break.

Osaka, who had reached the third round of the Australian Open in January before retiring injured, has not had back-to-back wins on any surface since the Italian Open in May. She is currently ranked 56th in the world.

"It's my first grasscourt win of the year," Reuters quoted Osaka as saying. "I am excited about that. I am super excited to play here and be back for my next round."

Asked whether she was on track to improve her form on the surface, she said: "I hope so. I think I have potential but everyone is really good so I cannot take it for granted."

The pair held serve to take the first set into a tiebreak where Osaka snatched it on her second set point.

Osaka was 40-0 up on her opponent's serve at 2-2 in the second set but she could not bag the first break of either player in the match, with Danilovic holding serve with her eighth ace of the match.

Osaka, however, got the mini-break she needed in the tiebreak when she challenged a Danilovic first serve that was then ruled out, with the qualifier then double-faulting.

She held on to that slim advantage to earn a spot in the round of 16 where she will face fifth-seed Emma Navarro.

Russian eighth-seed Ekaterina Alexandrova also eased into the next round with a 6-1 6-2 win over Swiss Belinda Bencic.

Croatia's Donna Vekic made equally light work of sixth seed southpaw Diana Shnaider for a 6-3 6-3 victory.

Clara Tauson of Denmark needed to work harder and battle from a set down before snatching a 6-7(6) 6-3 6-3 against Poland's Magdalena Frech.