Naomi Osaka makes fashion statement at US Open with newspaper headline gown
Quick Look
Naomi Osaka debuted a custom white hooded gown featuring sewn-in newspaper headlines about her career at the US Open, winning her first-round match against Anastasia Zakharova while citing NBA legend Allen Iverson as her fashion inspiration.
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Why It Matters
Naomi Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion known for her distinctive fashion choices at major tennis tournaments.
The spectacular jellyfish outfit at the Australian Open. A sparkly Eiffel Tower-inspired golden dress at the French Open. The elegant all-white Japanese kimono at Wimbledon.
Naomi Osaka has proved she knows how to make a grand entrance at the Grand Slams - and her arrival at this year's US Open was always going to turn more heads.
The four-time major champion was draped in a hooded white gown - with cuttings of newspaper headlines about her career highlights sewn in - when she walked out for her first-round match against Russia's Anastasia Zakharova in New York.
Underneath was an all-black basketball-style kit in which Osaka played as she fought her way to a 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-3) win over world number 101 Zakharova.
Afterwards Osaka said the on-court look was inspired by NBA legend Allen Iverson, who is widely credited for introducing a sharper focus on fashion in his sport during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
"He's a trailblazer. I think he's also someone that I look up to a lot, because he's done a lot in fashion, whether it's on purpose or not," said Osaka.
"He's shifted the way that NBA players dress. I also think the whole conversation around clothes in sports and just expressing yourself through style.
"I feel like he's someone that I look up to in that regard."
Open Questions
- Who designed Osaka's US Open outfit?
- Will Osaka continue to make fashion statements at future Grand Slams?
