Naomi Osaka and Petra Kvitova represented tennis in the opening of ceremony at the Olympic Games.
The event took place in Tokyo without spectators as tennis history was made with Naomi Osaka being the one to light the cauldron to officially kick off the Olympics.
Osaka became the first tennis player in history to achieve the feat, something that meant an awful lot to her given her recent mental health problems.
After the event Osaka took to Twitter to put into words how she was feeling:
A spine-tingling moment for Osaka who achieved a once in a generation achievement in her home country of Japan. A moment that now will see her as the face of these Olympic Games.
Meanwhile Osaka wasn’t the only one achieving history as Petra Kvitova was one of four tennis flagbearers.
It was a big moment for Kvitova who after being stabbed in her home six or seven years ago now got to achieve her ultimate dream.
It was a moment that was recognised throughout the tennis community as a thoroughly deserved achievement.
One person that approved of this moment was Maria Sharapova:
Here are some other moments shared by players of their journey through the opening ceremony with action set to begin tomorrow:
