Naomi Osaka is one of the world’s greatest tennis players, winning numerous tournaments and awards, and reaching the rank of World no. 1, but on top of that, she’s also a huge fashion icon. From custom couture walk-ons to statement court kits, Osaka does not merely play tennis, she curates visual spectacles. By mixing Japanese pop culture, streetwear, hyper-girly aesthetics, and haute couture, she has transformed center-court entrances into high-fashion runways.
Serving looks as well as aces
The start of her experimenting “fashion court” began with something that many women go through: maternity, but specifically, the difficulty to return to her personal life. Naomi had a few struggles to return to tennis after giving birth to her daughter, but it was through fashion that she reconnected with herself again, wearing the Yoon Ahn collab with Nike to celebrate her return to the U.S Open.
In an interview for the New York Times, Osaka talked about the feeling of wearing the “lolita goth dress” on court, saying that “I feel like we’re all kind of exploring together. It’s not that I have multiple personalities, but every time I wear a different outfit, it’s like a different character, almost like a video game, where you can select different avatars. And for me, it always feels like whatever story we’re telling and whatever outfit I’m wearing, it’s like a different version of myself.”
The outfits combined performance dresses with dramatic walk-on skirts and oversized bows. Naomi described the inspiration as feeling like a “magical girl” when she walked onto the court — a reference to the Japanese pop-culture archetype in which an ordinary character transforms into a powerful heroine.
WHAT DO JELLYFISHES AND KIMONOS HAVE IN COMMON?
At this year’s Australian Open, Osaka shocked Melbourne Park when she walked onto Rod Laver Arena holding a sheer parasol umbrella, wearing a wide-brimmed hat draped in a flowy white veil, and clad in a jellyfish-inspired outfit designed alongside London couturier Robert Wun and Nike. Complete with subtle butterfly details—a nod to the 2021 match where a butterfly famously landed on her face—the look was an aquatic fantasy and high fashion artwork.
Osaka shared in an interview with Vogue:”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 […] 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.”
She continued this storytelling across the 2026 Grand Slam calendar: at the Indian Wells, Naomi went full cheetah print to hunt in the hot desert in her own Mad Max-ish way.
Going to the french court, she stepped out at Roland Garros in a shimmering gold-sequined dress, designed by Kevin Germanier, as a tribute to the Eiffel Tower and the way it shines at night.
Whoever said that the all white outfit rule at Wimbledon should be boring was completely wrong, “I’ve never thought of the colour white as a restriction”, Naomi said at the pre-tournament press conference, “there are so many different patterns and textures that you can use. It doesn’t hinder me.”
Honoring not only the grass-court traditions, but her own heritage, Osaka showed up wearing a crisp white kimono wrap, inspired by traditional Japanese ceremonial outfits and designed by Hana Yagi. “My Japanese heritage means a lot to me… so I thought it would be cool to come out in a kimono.”
At this year’s U.S Open, pairing crystal-adorned Nike designs with statement streetwear coats designed by KidSuper, Naomi paid a tribute to one of her biggest idols: the basketball player Allen Iverson.
The grey hoodie with a white skirt, along with an armband and a headband reminded the look first popularised by the 11-time NBA all-star. “He’s someone that I look up to a lot”, she told reporters at a press conference before the tournament. “He’s kind of done a lot in fashion, whether it’s on purpose or not, but he’s shifted the way that NBA players dress.”
FASHION BEYOND THE TENNIS COURT: IS IT MORE THAN JUST OUTFITS?
Away from competition, Osaka’s style is equally experimental: her wardrobe moves between luxury fashion, sportswear and street style, often combining pieces that would traditionally belong to completely different categories, including a sheer Louis Vuitton look worn with a black maxi skirt, Nike warm-up pieces elevated with crystals and accessories.
Even accessories have become part of the visual narrative. During her 2026 U.S. Open run, Naomi incorporated crystal-adorned Labubu charms into her looks, turning the collectible character into another element of her carefully constructed aesthetic.
It’s this combination — high fashion alongside playful pop culture, athletic clothing alongside luxury accessories — that makes Osaka’s style so distinctive, there is no strict separation between the athlete and the fashion figure, both identities coexist.
As with any major disruption to sport culture, Naomi’s fashion decisions have sparked an intense debate. Traditionalists and purists have voiced criticism, arguing that elaborate outfits draw focus away from the game itself, following a Grand Slam match, opponent Laura Siegemund criticized the logistics of walk-on fashion, “I come here to play tennis, not to put on a fashion show.”
Osaka, however, remained unbothered, stating that “There’s a demographic that’s been talking about ‘traditional’ tennis outfits… I don’t do this for them though, they will never get it and I don’t want them to. I do this for the people that are like me”, she addressed on social media. “I don’t mind being the first to do something and getting trashed for it. This happened when I talked about mental health and for some reason it’s happening with my clothes. I’m literally Haitian, it’s in my blood to be this way—as long as the people after me have an easier path, it’s worth it.”
Naomi says that the former NBA icon Allen Iverson is a key inspiration for her mindset: just as Iverson shattered basketball’s strict dress codes in the late 1990s and early 2000s—paving the way for today’s high-fashion tunnel walks—Osaka is carving out space for tennis players to display full individuality. Supporters have championed her efforts, comparing the backlash she faces to the historical policing of Venus and Serena Williams’ groundbreaking outfits.
A LEGACY BEYOND THE COURT
Naomi Osaka’s importance to fashion, may ultimately have less to do with individual outfits than with what those outfits represent. By bringing couture, anime references, streetwear and personal storytelling onto a tennis court, she has helped expand the idea of what an athlete can look like, and what they can communicate without saying a word.
The tennis court may still be where Osaka serves her aces. But increasingly, it is also where she tells her story: with global ambassadorships, high-fashion collaborations, and her own signature Nike lines, Naomi’s influence reaches far beyond baseline winners and ace totals.
By treating the court as a medium for self-expression, she proves that peak athleticism and unapologetic style are not mutually exclusive. Win or lose, whenever Osaka walks through the tunnel, the world stops to see what she is wearing and how she aces it.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
The article above was edited by Camilly Vieira.
Liked this type of content? Check Her Campus Cásper Líbero home page for more!