The spectacular jellyfish outfit at the Australian Open. A sparkly Eiffel Tower-inspired golden dress at the French Open. The elegant all-white Japanese kimono at Wimbledon.
Naomi Osaka has proved she knows how to make a grand entrance at the Grand Slams – and her arrival at this year’s US Open was always going to turn more heads.
The four-time major champion was draped in a hooded white gown – with cuttings of newspaper headlines about her career highlights sewn in – when she walked out for her first-round match against Russia’s Anastasia Zakharova in New York.
Underneath was an all-black basketball-style kit in which Osaka played as she fought her way to a 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-3) win over world number 101 Zakharova.
Afterwards Osaka said the on-court look was inspired by NBA legend Allen Iverson, who is widely credited for introducing a sharper focus on fashion in his sport during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Osaka’s performance on the court in Monday’s night session was less stylish, however.
The Japanese 13th seed, who won the Flushing Meadows title in 2018 and 2020, faltered after a strong start and ultimately needed to dig deep to see off Zakharova.
