Naomi Osaka shocked Centre Court at Wimbledon as she turned up wearing another bold outfit for her match with Aryna SabalenkaAryna Sabalenka. She donned an elaborate Japanese-style white robe with wide sleeves and a tulle train down the back, which had caused a stir as she walked to court for her matches previously.
She walked out with Sabalenka, as the world No. 1 wore the typical outfit she continued to play in, while Osaka had to de-robe before hitting the first ball. She took to the court wearing it, completed the pre-match pleasantries and coin toss while in the robe, then took it off to warm up and eventually begin the last-16 tie.
She has worn similar outfits in each round of Wimbledon, and on the occasions she was scheduled to play on a smaller, outside court, she wore her elaborate attire through the grounds to court.
This required extensive security, as is provided if necessary for each player at Wimbledon, though fans were able to get an up-close-and-personal look at the robe, kimono or jacket.
In her previous match on Court 1, supporters at SW19 were denied such a glimpse, as she walked onto the show court from inside – and she did so again on the grandest stage in tennis against Sabalenka.
Osaka has spoken extensively about her appearance, insisting she prefers to talk fashion over her game, explaining: “I would actually prefer to talk about my clothes.
“It’s kind of weird. In some ways I feel like I’m a lot more equipped to talk about my clothes than to talk about my tennis. It’s strange, because I’ve been playing tennis for 20-something years. Some days I don’t feel like an expert on it.
“If we were to talk about my outfit, I feel like I could keep going on and on and on. I find it really fun that people care and people are doing these deep dives into the fabric and the making-of stories.”
Osaka describes herself as an introvert, despite the headline-grabbing outfits, and explained that tennis and fashion are important ways of expression in her life: “From my end, it definitely is. I feel like I’ve been able to tell stories. Even from like the bow dress that I did with Yoon two US Opens ago.
“Just being able to communicate my style, being able to communicate my brand of tennis as well, because I feel like for me, my tennis is a little bit louder than I am also.
“I have always loved stories since I was little, movies, books. Being able to tell that in my own way has been a challenge, but it’s been really fun figuring that out.”