Aryna Sabalenka (right) has had her say on Naomi Osaka’s outfits (Image: Getty)
Naomi Osaka’s quirky outfits have polarised opinion in the tennis world. Wimbledon’s strict dress code hasn’t held the Japanese star back at the tournament, where she has reached the quarter-finals after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the last 16.
Ahead of one match, Osaka took to the court wearing a ‘Kill Bill’ inspired kimono. Before another, she donned a white jacket with floral decoration and a long train trailing behind her, a look she kept for her win over world number one Sabalenka, who is a fan of her rival’s daring outfits. Speaking at the Australian Open in January, where Osaka wore a jellyfish-style ensemble, the Belarusian called it “really cool.” She said: “You know, what’s very beautiful about fashion is that you can express yourself however you want. It’s a fairly free world. There’s no judgement.
“Some people see fashion one way, others another. That’s why it’s so beautiful: you can feel free, show who you are, show your personality. I think yesterday, it was perfectly in line with her personality, her culture, many things. It was really cool.”
That view isn’t shared by critics, who have accused the 28-year-old, who has previously hit out at media scrutiny, of attention seeking. Jamie Murray was unconvinced, telling the BBC: “It was like Mary Poppins on… I don’t know what she was on, but she’s on something. I was like, ‘What are you doing?'”
One of her opponents at this year’s French Open, Laura Siegemund, gave a brutal assessment of Osaka, who had worn a black sequinned dress ahead of their first-round match. Siegemund told Eurosport: “I couldn’t care less. I come here to play tennis, not to put on a fashion show. And if others want to put on a fashion show, then they should go ahead and do it.”
But she added: “She can have a minute and a half to change. I have a problem with that, because these rules simply exist and they are what they are – every second is now being watched so closely for us. I don’t think it’s okay and where, once again, bigger names are treated differently.”
Osaka ahead of her match against Laura Siegemund, who wasn’t impressed (Image: Getty)
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However, former British number one Anne Keothavong jumped to Osaka’s defence. Speaking on TNT Sports, she said: “I love her sense of fun. It’s not necessarily my style, but that doesn’t matter.
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“I love the fact that she has an interest in fashion and she feels confident enough to express herself in that way and I now look forward to her outfits at the Grand Slams.
“I feel like more players could do that, more brands could get on board and just give players something different to wear. It’s a good talking point, it creates headlines, in print and in social.
Osaka in her jellyfish outfit (Image: Getty)
“It gets people talking about the sport, about the player, it’s win-win. However, saying that, you’ve also got to be able to deliver on the tennis court and, so far, Naomi Osaka has been able to do that.”
The Osaka-born star draws her inspiration from her upbringing with a Japanese mother, a Haitian father and a childhood spent mostly in Florida. She said: “I feel like my inspiration can be anything.
“I took a trip to Japan one day [and] then obviously you go to Harajuku (a district of Tokyo famous for fashion), and you see everyone expressing themselves through clothes. I don’t really ever have a plan when it comes to clothes. I think it’s okay to try something and fail, but I’d rather just try it and see how it goes.”