Naomi Osaka didn't just walk into the Australian Open; she made an entrance that looked borrowed from a couture runway, the New York Times reports. Before striking a ball in her first-round match in Melbourne, the four-time Grand Slam champion arrived in a layered, sea-toned Nike dress topped with wide white pleated pants, a sweeping brimmed hat, a veil that trailed behind her, and a parasol in hand—an ensemble she told Vogue drew inspiration from jellyfish and butterflies. All but the dress came off before play began; Osaka went on to win.
The look, created by Nike and London-based couture designer Robert Wun, who has also dressed Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, quickly ricocheted across both sports and fashion media. Some observers saw it as a memorable swing at blending high fashion and sport. One Times reporter likened the entrance to something out of a Baz Luhrmann film and said the veil and hat evoked 1920s glamour and even bridal wear, while another said the outfit infused a kind of "Sunday best" seriousness into Osaka's typically more playful style. Others were less convinced. NYT fashion critic Vanessa Friedman argued the look leaned more toward a costume, calling it a distraction rather than on-court innovation.
The debate slots Osaka into a shifting lineage of tennis style, one she says she grew up watching through Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Maria Sharapova. "When I look back at the players who came before me, I think about how those moments—those looks—have become memories that live forever," she told Vogue. Unlike Serena's tutus and catsuits, which challenged on-court norms, Osaka's statement so far is about the walk-in, echoing the much-discussed Gucci bag carried by Jannik Sinner onto the court. As the Guardian notes, "the idea of tennis having its own version of a catwalk has been cemented."
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