Fashion-forward Osaka will tone it down at RG

Tennis style icon Naomi Osaka has no plans to try for one-upmanship in the informal fashion stakes at Roland Garros.

The former world No. 1 from Japan has sometimes made more news with her style choices than her racquet, especially after taking time off several seasons ago to have a child.

But Osaka has run against the traditional tennis grain with some of her outfits, which included an exo-skeleton ensemble at January’s Australian Open, where she walked onto court for her opening match wearing a large hat, veil, and carrying a parasol combination and wearing a pair of pleated pants..

The clothing was discarded before the start revealing a tennis dress, with the quirky player explaining the get-up was inspired by “the jellyfish, then butterflies, which ties back to the butterfly moment I had here a long time ago, in 2021,” 

The world No. 16 also put on a fashion show at the spring Met Gala in New York, sporting a wedding dress-style garment combined with another huge hat..

For Osaka, it’s just another day in the office, but she said nothing special is planned when Roland Garros kicks of on Sunday in Paris.

“I don’t talk a lot, so that way I can talk through my clothes,” she said on Saturday prior to the start of the year’s second major.

“That means I can be as loud with colors or patterns or
fabric as I want.

“I think that’s the fun part.. I feel we lost that a little in tennis. I grew up with, you know, Serena’s and Venus’s (Williams) grand reveals (included beaded hair and catsuits on court).

“I know there are some kids or some people who are  similar to me that hopefully feel that same way about my outfits. 

“But, yeah, I am a little dramatic when it comes to my fashion sense.”