Former Grand Slam champion, Naomi Osaka is known for her brilliance on the field and her unique outfits off the field. The internet is always divided on opinions with some fans calling it great while the other section does not like it.
She made her mark on Wimbledon day one with a second-round victory over Gasanova after she caught fans’ attention with an eye-catching Japanese-inspired outfit. It looked stunning and showed off a different culture.
The four-time Grand Slam champion walked onto Court 2 in an all-white kimono, the traditional national dress of Japan, paired with a traditional kanzashi hair ornament, before unveiling a white Nike dress.The kimono, which was decorated with embroidered cranes and cherry blossoms, was created by Tokyo-based designer Hana Yagi and covered in “British Vogue” as the tournament opened. Watch her entrance in Round 2.
After her win in Round 1, Naomi Osaka told reporters after her win that her culture, combined with Wimbledon’s strict dress code, which instructs players to wear almost entirely white attire from the moment they enter the courts, helped inspire the outfit. “When I think about Wimbledon obviously it’s all white and the oldest tournament. There’s the tradition of it all and in my head when I think about that and I think about my culture, my heritage, which is Japanese and Asian, and then if I dive deeper into Japanese culture I think about the most iconic silhouette, which for me is the kimono,” she said.
Speaking about the inspiration behind her outfit Osaka said, “I was thinking about my favourite movies. I love ‘Kill Bill’ and then I remembered absolutely falling in love with Lucy Liu’s character, and she has an all white kimono. I remember thinking that was really cool and amazing.’ She also said that this was a way to show her respect and love for Japan.
Naomi Osaka breezes into Round of 32 after win over Anastasia Gasanova
Naomi Osaka looked in fine touch as she defeated Gasanova in straight sets. The former slam champion showed no signs of rustiness as she won 6-3, 6-2 and made her way into the Round of 32. Osaka looked impressive on serve, getting eight aces and hit 28 winners in the match. She dominated the game and did not face a single break point in the entire match. The match ended in just over 1 hour as she put up a clinical effort.
She will face off against Daria Kasatkina in the Round of 32 and the former slam champion will be keen to put up another good performance. Osaka is looking to make a mark in this edition of the Wimbledon both on and off the field. Her performances combined with her outfits during the match has grabbed all the headlines and she is making a huge impact in this edition. Her next match will be on 3rd July.