Naomi Osaka arrived for her Wimbledon second-round match against Anastasia Gasanova in a toned-down tribute to Japanese dress, replacing a full kimono look with a tule ivory train and obi-style belt—after turning SW19 heads earlier in the week with a striking
Naomi Osaka’s walk through the crowds to Court 2 had the same familiar swagger—but this time, the dress code narrative changed.
For her second-round Wimbledon clash on Wednesday against Anastasia Gasanova. the four-time Grand Slam champion kept the Japanese ceremonial theme without going all-in on a full kimono. Osaka still wore an ivory tule train attached to a thick obi belt. paired with a simple Nike jacket with sleeves rolled up. embroidered with flowers all over it. The point was to “shake things up. ” she had promised after her opening match—yet the result looked more restrained than the full statement she delivered on Monday.
Wimbledon’s strict clothing rules mean the Japanese star can only wear white. but that has never stopped her using silhouette and detail to make entrances. Her green undershorts were also still in play following a rule change in 2022. For the first round. Osaka had stepped out in a sensational custom white kimono covered with embroidered cranes and blossom. the obi belt and a trailing tule bow giving her look deep bell-shaped drama.
She also paid homage to film when she explained the inspiration after defeating Elsa Jacquemot in her opening-round match. “When I think about Wimbledon, it’s obviously the all white,” Osaka said. “It’s the oldest tournament, right? Then there’s obviously the tradition of it all.”
She then linked the gesture to her own background—Japanese and Haitian—and to Japanese culture’s most iconic silhouette. “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, which for me is a kimono. You don’t have to see the colour of a kimono to know that it is a kimono.”.
Osaka said she also built the idea around her love for *Kill Bill* and the character Lucy Liu plays. “I love Kill Bill. I remembered absolutely falling in love with Lucy Liu’s character,” she said. “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.”.
Her Wimbledon first-round outfit finished with a kanzashi hair ornament historically worn by geisha and Mikimoto jewellery from the famous Japanese luxury pearl brand. Tokyo-based designer Hana Yagi said the garment took inspiration from kirigami. the Japanese art of paper cutting. and described the construction as being built from vintage shiromuku. kimono and wedding dresses—ceremonial garments created for important moments in people’s lives.
After shaking hands with Jacquemot, Osaka walked to her chair and removed the outfit, made in detachable layers, to reveal a white Nike match dress with matching embroidery beneath.
The “fun” part. Osaka said. was the surprise factor—along with the visible reaction as she passed people in the stands. “I thought it was really fun just because I didn’t think anyone expected it,” she added. “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.” She described hearing admiration too: “It was cool because I heard some people say ‘Wow. that’s a really beautiful kimono’ and stuff like that. So it was nice.”.
She also revealed how constant the questions can be when athletes become fashion targets. “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 of those questions were practical—whether she owns just one white outfit. and what would happen if she stains it. “Some players asked if I only have one. because it’s all white. and what happens if I stain it. ” Osaka said. “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 tennis name making a runway-style exit at SW19. American Taylor Fritz strolled out for his opening match in a custom all-white suit by Hugo Boss. He carried a matching white holdall and headband that drew instant comparisons to the outfit worn by Roger Federer in 2007. Fritz said Boss came to him with the idea. and he wasn’t entirely sure how it would land until he saw the photos. “I think people are going to be torn,” he said. “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.”.
He also admitted that style can carry risk, especially when tennis ends quickly. “You show up in a full outfit and get snipped in the first round, you kind of look stupid,” Fritz said. “You look really stupid, honestly.”
For Fritz, the Wimbledon gamble paid off: he coasted into the second round in straight sets against Dusan Lajovic. The American had been due to face Jack Draper, but Draper withdrew through injury.
Osaka’s Wimbledon second-round look arrives after similar fashion-and-tennis arguments at Roland Garros. Weeks earlier at the French Open. her sparkling gold “Eiffel Tower” dress and other walk-on outfits sparked accusations from an opponent that she was prioritising fashion over tennis. Osaka refused to back down. strode into Paris in upcycled jackets and skirts made from her old match outfits. and wore a matching sequinned jacket and skirt over her dress for her fourth-round defeat to Aryna Sabalenka. with the first women’s match in three years scheduled for the evening slot on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Her Roland Garros entrances included ivory and coffee trains attached to the back of her outfit. She had been accused by her first-round opponent Laura Siegemund of not coming to Roland Garros “to play tennis.” Siegemund’s criticism came after Osaka arrived in a flowing black skirt and corset before unveiling the shimmering gold dress. which Osaka said she believed resembled the famous French monument at night.
The black corset and skirt were designed by couturier Kevin Garmanier and were made using the inner layers of one of her jackets, while her old tennis skirts and dresses were cut up and reused. The outfit was then covered in hundreds of hand-applied crystals.
Siegemund responded publicly. “I came here to play tennis, not to put on a fashion show,” she 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.”
At Wimbledon, Jacquemot’s view was different. After her 6-1 7-5 defeat to Osaka. she said: “I think it shows her personality.” Jacquemot added: “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 Paris second-round opponent Donna Vekic also took a similar approach, saying: “Some people take tennis way too seriously. Relax. it’s just an outfit.” Vekic added. “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.”.
Her runway reputation goes well beyond Wimbledon and Paris. At the Australian Open in January. Osaka arrived 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. inspired by a jellyfish. At Indian Wells. she wore tribal-inspired jewellery over her lips. nose and ears alongside a black mesh and cheetah-print Nike dress. trainers and jacket.
Even the Met Gala featured her theatrical taste, with a “skin-shedding” entrance 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.
In Paris, when asked about the process, Osaka said she enjoys the challenge of design within boundaries. “It’s just fun to watch designers work. especially when there is an already pre-existing thing that they have to design around. ” she said. She also admitted she brought backup dresses to Roland Garros just in case. worried her golden Nike outfit might blind spectators. She explained why: “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 the fear came after seeing how it responded to sunlight. “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.”
Osaka has long defended her choices as more than pageantry. “Sometimes people say athletes in show business or entertainers or whatever,” she said. “I feel like, for me, Grand Slam walk-ons are the only time that I possibly feel like I’m an entertainer.”
Now. on Wednesday. the question at Wimbledon was less whether she would make a statement—and more how big it would be. Osaka chose to keep the tribute visible. but narrower in form. walking back into SW19 tradition with a look that still turned heads. even after she’d already proved she could go further.
Naomi Osaka Wimbledon Anastasia Gasanova Court 2 Elsa Jacquemot Taylor Fritz Hugo Boss Roger Federer tennis fashion kimono obi belt