Naomi Osaka commanded attention with her fashion choices at the French Open this week.
She arrived on Court Suzanne-Lenglen in a ceremonial black skirt and a sleeveless beaded bodice, which she then removed to reveal a sequined gold playing dress for her opening match.
Osaka said she uses fashion to “talk through my clothes” as she is not a very talkative person.
“I am a little dramatic when it comes to my fashion sense,” she said.
Osaka beat Germany's Laura Siegemund 6-3 7-6 (7-3) to reach the second round.
Following the match, she joked that she had worried that she would be asked to change.
“When I first saw it, I felt like I look like the Eiffel Tower at night time when it's bright,” she said.
“Then I actually got a little worried because when the sun hits the dress, it reflects a lot, so I was a little scared the umpire was going to kick me off the court.
“I got two back-up, normal dresses. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wear them.”
The outer pieces were designed by Kevin Germanier, while the gold dress was by Nike.
Earlier this year at the Australian Open, Osaka walked on in an outfit inspired by a jellyfish, with a wide-brimmed white hat, veil, and parasol.
The four-time Grand Slam champion also recently wore a show-stopping outfit at the Met Gala in New York.
The white sculptural fitted dress was designed by Robert Wun, and featured exaggerated shoulders, red feathers, and a matching headpiece. To complete her look, Osaka wore two-toned red gloves.
“My outfit was so heavy,” she said.
“I felt like I had like a 20-pound vest on. But I just kept trying to tell myself to have good posture because tennis players ... sometimes we hunch over a lot.”
Earlier on Court Philippe-Chatrier, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka wore two necklaces with diamonds for her opening win.
Watching Osaka’s entrance on TNT Sports, Sabalenka said that she loved the outfit.
”This is sparkling. I love it. I love that she is expressing herself and feels confident,” Sabalenka said.
“That's the beauty of the fashion world, there’s space for anything and I love that she’s bringing it on court.”
