Outfit of the Day: Unruffled Naomi Osaka's Wimbledon kit divides the internet
As she powered her way to her first match win at the All England Club in six years, Osaka's unique Nike look almost stole the show on Court 2.
Naomi Osaka had not won a match at Wimbledon since 2018, but that wasn’t the only reason the Japanese player had tennis fans talking on Monday.
Osaka needed three sets to earn a 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 victory on Court 2 against Diane Perry, and she took extra inspiration from daughter Shai who's set to turn one year old tomorrow. It was a milestone that also seemed to weigh heavy on the former world No. 1’s mind ahead of the tournament.
“Before my match I was looking at my photo album. They have that feature 'This time last year.' I was looking at that. I was looking at photos of myself in the hospital,” Osaka recalled in her post-match press conference.
“It's really cool to be here now. I think my mindset last year was just trying to survive...”
Read More: ‘Relieved’ Naomi Osaka earns first win at Wimbledon since 2018 over Diane Parry
But during the match, it wasn’t just her resilient tennis that caught fans' attention—although her 34 winners and 77 percent of first serve points won were positive signs for Osaka’s comeback. All eyes were on her latest custom kit from Nike.
Osaka famously switched from Adidas to Nike back in 2019, and she hasn’t looked back since rocking custom dresses and tennis shoes in most big tournaments. She’s also grown as a designer with the Swoosh, dropping her first capsule collection with them in 2021 featuring on and off-court looks.
At this year’s Australian Open, she commemorated the first Grand Slam of her comeback with shimmering scales, and rocked a perforated dress with a peakaboo skirt at Roland Garros. At Wimbledon, where the four-time Grand Slam winner is seeking her first title, Osaka wore a set of eye-catching separates and multiple layers of ruffles.
Described as “an elaborate outfit that wouldn’t have looked out of place at the Met Gala” by the tournament’s official site, Osaka’s kit featured a cropped racerback tank top with a gauze-like ruffle layer starting from her right shoulder and curving around her torso, and a flowy skirt made of the same material that was mesmerizing to watch in action.
The all-white colorway was highlighted by small pops of forest green—perfectly matching her white and green Nike x NO shoes, as well as her signature Tag Heuer Aquaracer. The Louis Vuitton ambassador completed the look with an understated set of LV earrings and pendant necklace.
After the match, Osaka showed off one more component of the fit as she slipped on a techwear inspired Nike warm-up jacket for the post-match interview.
Of course, with any bold look comes a wave of hot takes, and Tennis Twitter had no shortage of them on Monday.
Fans online seemed to be left divided about whether the outfit was a hit or miss:
Through to the second round at Wimbledon, Osaka will next face No. 19 seed Emma Navarro.
Currently ranked No. 113 but assured of a return to the Top 100 after today's win, Osaka has been to the third round just twice at Wimbledon in 2017 and 2018—her best results at the All England Club to date.