Naomi Osaka begins the second week at Wimbledon for the first time after winning her first three matches without dropping a set, while her latest Japanese-inspired fashion statements—created with designer Hana Yagi and produced with Nike—have turned her news c
Naomi Osaka steps onto Wimbledon’s grass knowing she’s already done something she hasn’t managed before: she’s playing in the second week of the tournament for the first time.
By the time Day 7 arrives. the 28-year-old. four-time Grand Slam champion has blitzed through her first three matches without losing a set. In her younger career. she’d show up on grass and it often looked like she was fighting the surface more than the opponent—at times. it seemed almost like she was allergic to the grass swing. Even now. her record tells the story of a change: she has lost more than three games in a set just once. and she’s been far from the player she used to be on this swing.
Her results have come with a different kind of spotlight too. At Wimbledon. Osaka’s been using the walk-on at this year’s three majors to make fashion statements that read less like branding and more like personal expression. Today. that style is rooted in Japanese ceremonial dress: she’s worn a white ensemble inspired by that tradition. including a kimono-style dress embroidered with cherry blossoms and cranes.
The dress isn’t a distant collaboration where she just shows up. It was produced in concert with designer Hana Yagi, with Osaka’s own creative team involved and Osaka working with the designers herself. Nike produces the on-court dresses.
Those choices have landed right at the center of her Wimbledon attention. They’ve become topics of conversation around the sport. especially because they’re appearing in the same place that usually belongs to breakdowns. strategy. and matchups. In news conferences, Osaka hasn’t just been answering questions about tennis.
For a lot of athletes, that kind of extra attention would be maddening. They come to arenas to practice something they’ve trained for almost all their lives. They’re athletes, and they want to talk about their sport.
Osaka is different here—at least, she appears to be finding something she didn’t have before. A decade into a career that has gone up. down. and sideways. she’s described as one of the world’s most famous and exposed introverts. and this swing seems to have finally given her a comfort zone through what could be her greatest passion: self-expression that travels with her onto the court.
It’s hard to miss the tension in the contrast—grass used to feel like a problem she couldn’t solve. while the fashion now feels like a language she’s fluent in. On Day 7. as she moves into the second week for the first time. the question isn’t just whether Osaka can keep winning on grass. It’s whether the person she’s become will keep letting tennis make room for the parts of her that don’t fit neatly into the usual script.
Wimbledon 2026 Naomi Osaka Day 7 Week 2 Sinner Djokovic Sabalenka Pegula Osaka fashion Hana Yagi Nike grass swing
Wait Wimbledon runway now? I thought it was just tennis.
Not gonna lie the outfit sounds kinda cute but also like… why does it matter while she’s playing? Grass swing allergy?? Like is that a real thing or just hype in the article lol. She’s still winning so whatever.
I read like half of it and I got the vibe she’s doing “Japanese ceremonial dress” stuff because sponsors said so. Nike producing the dresses and all, so it’s basically advertisement right? But then it says it’s personal expression… so which is it.
She’s already in Week 2 which is wild for her on grass, last time she basically looked mad at the court right? Also the cherry blossoms and cranes kimono dress sounds like something you’d see at a theme event, not Wimbledon. Still though if she’s not dropping sets then I guess the style isn’t hurting. I’m just confused how they’re saying the grass usually causes breakdowns and stuff… like tennis people don’t trip enough without couture.