Tennis Superstar Causes a Stir With Her Australian Open Outfit

Tennis star Naomi Osaka, 28, walked onto the court in an attention-grabbing outfit for her match at the Australian Open today.

For Osaka’s match against Croatian player Antonia Ružić, the four-time Grand Slam winner arrived in a teal Nike athletic dress worn over an avant-garde, pleated miniskirt and pant set that swept across the ground as she walked.

While her turquoise sneakers, visor, and wristbands looked like typical tennis-match gear, the rest of the athlete’s accessories instead invoked couture runways.

Osaka wore a veiled white hat that trailed behind her and held an asymmetrical white umbrella ahead of her as she walked onto the court. Her white hat and umbrella also each have a butterfly on top. The detail is a cheeky nod to the viral butterfly moment where Osaka gently moved a Monarch away from the court during the 2021 Australian Open.

While she was photographed walking onto the court with just her tennis dress over the pants, she later put on a matching warm-up jacket with the same green ruffles on the sleeves.

Two animals reportedly inspired her unconventional look: the jellyfish and the butterfly.

In an interview with Vogue, which featured photographs by Adam Kudeimati, Osaka explained that her custom outfit was inspired in part by her 2-year-old daughter’s reaction to seeing a jellyfish in a book Osaka read to her.

The team at Nike helped design the ruffly teal jellyfish dress, and Osaka and curatorial director Marty Harper tapped in designer Robert Wun for the dreamy miniskirt-and-pants, umbrella, and hat that complemented her match gear.

Wun told Vogue that Osaka’s viral 2021 moment, when a butterfly landed on her face, inspired the butterfly detailing in his 2024 collection. Naturally, butterflies were incorporated into Osaka’s accessory lineup.

It appears her whimsical approach to tennis fashion paid off, as Osaka beat Ružić, winning two of three sets, scoring 6-3, 3-6, and 6-4.

Reactions to Osaka’s outfit have ranged from positive to shady. “I absolutely love this. First two pictures are pure art,” wrote one Redditor regarding the Vogue photos.

Others found the look to be over the top, with another Reddit commenter writing, “The Met Gala is over three months away, Naomi.”

On Osaka’s Instagram page, reactions to the outfit—and her win—were overwhelmingly positive. Singer-songwriter SZA commented, “AND THEN SHE WON !!!! 🔥🔥😍😍 creative expression while mothering in several ways 💁🏾🧚🏾‍♀️👏🏾🤌🏾"