Naomi Osaka's hair doesn't impact her 120 mph serve or the powerful baseline play that helped her defeat Victoria Azarenka on Saturday to claim her second U.S. Open singles title. But it does impact how she is perceived in the sharp white backdrop of the tennis world, writes sociology professor Robyn Autry in NBC News THINK.

The way Osaka and other Black athletes present themselves gets noticed, writes Autry. With her thick natural hair often pulled into a high ponytail and up through a visor, Osaka is accustomed to making a statement — one that Black bodies often make, whether intended or not, in predominantly white spaces.