Naomi Osaka opted against wearing a full kimono for her second round Wimbledon clash on Wednesday, taking to the court in a toned-down outfit.
The four-time Grand Slam champion, renowned for her catwalk entrances at Grand Slams, had promised to ’shake things up’ after wowing the crowd for her opening match against Elsa Jacquemot by stepping out in a stunning tribute to the Japanese ceremonial dress.
This time, Osaka made the long walk through the crowds to Court 2 for her match against Anastasia Gasanova with an ivory train attached to a thick obi belt, the broad sash traditionally worn around the waist with a kimono, on top of a simple Nike jacket with sleeves rolled up but flowers embroidered all over it.
Osaka promised to ’shake things up’ after wowing the crowd for her first-round victory over Elsa Jacquemot but opted instead for a more stripped-back approach.
Naomi Osaka made the long walk to Court 2 with an ivory train attached to a thick obi belt
Osaka steps on to court for her match against Anastasia Gasanova on Wednesday
Wimbledon’s strict clothing rules means the Japanese star can only wear white but that hasn’t stopped her from making her typical grand entrances as she pays tribute to the traditional ceremonial dress.
Osaka sported the custom white outfit, covered with embroidered cranes and cheery blossom, both enduring symbols of Japanese culture, with an obi belt, a trailing tule bow and deep bell-shaped sleeves, a nod to the outfit worn by Lucy Liu’s character in the iconic Quentin Tarantino film.
‘When I think about Wimbledon, it’s obviously the all white,’ said Osaka after her opening-round victory. ‘It’s the oldest tournament, right? Then there’s obviously the tradition of it all.
‘When I think about that, I think about my cultures, my heritage, which is Japanese and Haitian. Then if I dive deeper into like Japanese culture, I think about the most iconic silhouette, which for me is a kimono. You don’t have to see the colour of a kimono to know that it is a kimono.
‘I was also thinking about my favourite movies. I love Kill Bill. I remembered absolutely falling in love with Lucy Liu’s character. She has an all-white kimono, and I remember thinking that was really cool and amazing. Then it just kind of went from there. It was like my interpretation of that while also paying a lot of respect and love to Japan.’
Osaka finished the outfit with a kanzashi hair ornament, historically worn by geisha, and Mikimoto jewellery from the famous Japanese luxury pearl brand. Tokyo-based designer Hana Yagi also took inspiration from kirigami, the Japanese art of paper cutting.
Osaka is renowned for her catwalk entrances at Grand Slams and has done the same in SW19
The Japanese superstar wore a white kimono for her round one game on Monday
‘The garment is constructed from vintage shiromuku (traditional Japanese bridal garments), kimono and wedding dresses – ceremonial garments originally created to mark important moments in people’s lives,’ Yagi told Vogue magazine.
After shaking hands with Jacquemot, Osaka walked over to her chair and removed the outfit, created in detachable layers, to reveal a white Nike match dress that included matching embroidery.
‘I thought it was really fun just because I didn’t think anyone expected it,’ added Osaka. ‘I try to lock in a little bit and wear my headphones. I could feel, like when I walked by someone, they would physically turn their whole body. I thought that was really fun.
‘It was cool because I heard some people say “Wow, that’s a really beautiful kimono” and stuff like that. So it was nice.
‘I’m used to doing it, like wearing these extravagant outfits and stuff. I feel like everyone has their own way of showing that they’re into fashion. I’m always really surprised whenever I go to the locker room, I get a lot of questions about it.
‘Some players asked if I only have one, because it’s all white, and what happens if I stain it,’ added Osaka. ‘They were like, If you stain it, do you have to, like, dye it after that? Some people were asking is it against the rules if you dye it, and then is that considered not wearing all white? Because I am taking it off and stuff.’
Osaka is not the only top tennis star bringing the fashion show to the grass after American Taylor Fritz strolled out for his opening match in a custom all-white suit by Hugo Boss.
Fritz channelled his inner Roger Federer in a matching white holdall and headband, which drew instant comparisons to the outfit worn by the eight-time Wimbledon champion in 2007.
‘I think Boss came to me with the idea of wanting to do it, and so we did it,’ said Fritz, who made it clear he’s less comfortable with the catwalk than Osaka. ‘You know, I wasn’t 100% sure how I felt, but after seeing the pictures after the match, I feel like it looked all right.
‘I think people are going to be torn. I think some people are going to like it and some people are going to think that anyone who is dressed up to walk out is doing too much.
‘[You feel] maybe not more nervous, but you show up in a full outfit and get snipped in the first round, you kind of look stupid. You look really stupid, honestly.’
Thankfully for Fritz, who was due to face Jack Draper until the Brit withdrew through injury, he coasted into the second round in straight sets against Dusan Lajovic.
Osaka’s latest bold entrance comes just weeks after her sparkling gold ‘Eiffel Tower’ dress and various walk-on outfits at the French Open sparked accusations from her opponent that she was prioritising fashion over tennis.
Osaka, who earns £7.5million a year in her deal with Nike, refused to back down and strode on to court in Paris with a range of upcycled jackets and skirts made from her old match outfits.
The 28-year-old wore a matching sequinned jacket and skirt over her dress for her fourth-round defeat to Aryna Sabalenka, the first women’s match in three years to be scheduled for the prestigious evening slot on Court Philippe-Chatrier. She’d entered for the previous two rounds with ivory and coffee trains attached to the back of her outfit.
Osaka had been accused of not coming to Roland Garros ‘to play tennis’ by her first-round opponent Laura Siegemund after arriving in a flowing black skirt and corset before unveiling the shimmering gold dress, which the Japanese star said she thought looked like the famous French monument at night.
The black corset and skirt, designed by couturier Kevin Garmanier, was made using the inner layers of one of her jackets while her old tennis skirts and dresses were also cut up and reused. The outfit was then covered in hundreds of hand-applied crystals.
‘I came here to play tennis, not to put on a fashion show,’ Siegemund had told TNT Sports. ‘And if others want to put on a fashion show, then they should go ahead and do it. That’s totally fine with me.’
Jacquemot had no such issues at Wimbledon. ‘I think it shows her personality,’ she told Daily Mail Sport after her 6-1 7-5 defeat to Osaka. ‘Honestly, it doesn’t bother me at all. Her outfits are beautiful, so it’s great.
‘It’s beautiful, honestly, and you can tell a lot of thought went into it. It’s all about the details and the little touches.’
Osaka’s second-round opponent in Paris, Donna Vekic, had taken a similar view. ‘Some people take tennis way too seriously,’ she said. ‘Relax, it’s just an outfit. Ithink it’s good that she’s doing different things, expressing herself through fashion. Whether it’s good or bad, that’s a different thing, it’s fashion.’
Osaka famously wore a jellyfish-inspired outfit at the Australian Open in January, arriving at the Rod Laver Arena with a wide-brimmed hat with a white veil and parasol before warming up in a frilled jacket and dress that looked like tentacles.
At Indian Wells, she arrived on court with tribal-inspired jewellery over her lips, nose and ears alongside a black mesh and cheetah-print Nike dress, trainers and jacket.
Fashionista Osaka even turned heads at this year’s Met Gala with a ‘skin-shedding’ performance on the entrance steps where she wore a white coat covered in red feathers to resemble blood before removing it to reveal a blood-red and crystalled gown designed to look like exposed muscle, tendon and sinew.
‘It’s just fun to watch designers work, especially when there is an already pre-existing thing that they have to design around,’ said Osaka in Paris, who admitted she brought back-up dresses to Roland Garros just in case as she was worried her golden Nike outfit might blind spectators.
‘When I first saw the dress in real life, I felt like I looked like the Eiffel Tower at night-time when it’s sparkling,’ she said. ‘And then I actually got a little worried, because when the sun hits the dress, it reflects a lot. I was a little scared that the umpire was going to kick me off the court.’
‘Sometimes people say athletes in show business or entertainers or whatever,’ said Osaka. ‘I feel like, for me, Grand Slam walk-ons are the only time that I possibly feel like I’m an entertainer.’
More to follow.
