Wimbledon's strict rules about all-white clothing didn't prevent Naomi Osaka from making another fashion statement as she walked onto the grass at the All England Club on Monday (June 29).
Osaka, who has made a habit of creating a buzz with her creative outfits at recent Grand Slam tournaments, wore a flowing kimono with swinging sleeves and elaborate embroidery as she walked onto the court for her first-round match against Elsa Jacquemot.
After winning 6-1, 7-5, Osaka said she got the inspiration for the outfit from a Quentin Tarantino film.
"For me, my Japanese heritage means a lot. They say all white at Wimbledon and I thought it would be really cool to come out in a kimono," Osaka said in an on-court interview.
"I just get inspired by a lot of different things, and for me, one of my favourite movies is Kill Bill. So I really love Lucy Liu's character, O-Ren Ishii, and she comes out in this really iconic white kimono.
"I always tell people I like to be like a video game character sometimes, I don't want to be myself when I'm playing on the court. And I kind of try to embody her a little.”
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The Japanese player's latest creation drew a rave reaction from the crowd, many of whom were eagerly waiting with their phones aloft to record her entrance.
One female fan shouted "C'mon queen!” as Osaka walked out.
"It’s something that we’ve been waiting for all day, right, what Naomi Osaka is going to appear in at Wimbledon," said Alicia Molik, the former top-10 ranked player who is doing commentary for the BBC.
Osaka kept her robe on as she bounced on her toes at the net while listening to instructions from the chair umpire.
She then removed it and placed it on her chair to begin warmups before the match started.
The four-time Grand Slam champion’s fashion creations and walk-ons are becoming an eagerly anticipated ritual at both Grand Slam tournaments and other events.
At the Australian Open this year, she walked onto court wearing a wide-brim hat, a veil and holding a white parasol.
At the French Open, she came out for her opening match in a ceremonial black skirt and sleeveless beaded bodice, which she removed to reveal a sequined gold playing dress.
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And at the Met Gala in New York, Osaka stunned in a edgy Robert Wun white sculptural fitted dress featuring exaggerated shoulders and adorned with red feathers and a matching headpiece. To complete her look, she wore two-toned red gloves.
So the big question ahead of Wimbledon was, how would she handle the all-white rule at the All England Club?
"Literally everyone keeps asking me that and I've never thought of the colour white being a restriction,” Osaka said at her pre-tournament press conference on Sunday (June 28).
"I feel like there’s so many different patterns, fabrics, textures that you can use.”
And use them, she did. – AP
