Style icon Naomi Osaka has sent the tennis world into meltdown following her sensational entrance for her first round match against Antonia Ruzic at the Australian Open on Tuesday.
The Japanese tennis star turned heads as she entered Rod Laver Arena wearing a long turquoise 'jellyfish'-inspired tunic, complete with a white pair of crimped trousers.
She also donned a white broad-brimmed hat that had a large white butterfly attached to its top.
A transparent white veil trailed after her as the tennis player waved to fans inside Rod Laver Arena.
The 28-year-old is renowned for her sensational sense of style, and today did not disappoint. The outfit was designed by Robert Wun, a Hong Kong-born, London-based fashion designer, who has made pieces for Ariana Grande, Beyonce and Cardi B.
Osaka revealed that the outfit had been inspired by the colours and elegance of a jellyfish, with Osaka revealing to Vogue that the inspiration for the outfit came from when she was reading a story to her two-year-old daughter, Shai.
'It translated beautifully into the movement and fluidity of the sheer layers on the dress and the jacket,' Osaka said to the outlet. 'When I saw it during the fitting, I remember thinking, ‘this is beautiful,’ but also feeling like the story wasn’t fully finished yet.'
Osaka revealed that her daughter had become 'excited' when she showed her the final designs.
After removing her hat and carefully placing it on top of her chair, the world No 17 began to put on a turquoise jacket that matched her 'jellyfish' tunic. Designed in collaboration with her apparel partner Nike, the jacket featured an ocean colourway that had little threads of green fabric appearing to dangle from it.
As she warmed up, Osaka appeared to gracefully flow around the court, sweeping away ground strokes, much to the delight of both the fans and pundits inside the 15,000-capacity stadium.
'Wow,' Tim Henman told TNT Sports. 'This is quality.'
Osaka had also appeared to have left her bag on her chair prior to her entrance, with TNT pundit Laura Robson, also being left speechless.
'Wow,' the former British star said. 'I've never seen anything quite like it. That is the ultimate walk on isn't it?
'The hat is kind of like a Beyonce formation moment.'
Osaka turned heads at the US Open last year, notably warming up in a lime-green outfit that had featured a silk bow on her back. She had also donned a green, tiered skirt. The two-time Australian Open winner paired the outfit with green and white Nike trainers that had a green bow pinned to the heel.
Speaking to Vogue, Osaka, who won here in 2019 and 2021, stated that she wanted to use the opportunity to emulate tennis stars of years gone by and make a statement.
'When I look back at the players who came before me, I think about how those moments—those looks—have become memories that live forever,' she told Vogue.
'So much of the time, other people get to write our stories for us. This felt like a moment where I could write a little bit of my own.'
More to follow...
