Naomi Osaka has sent the tennis world into meltdown after her sensational entrance for her first round match against Antoia 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 also 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.’
More to follow…
