Naomi Osaka once again turned her entrance onto the court into a spectacle. This Monday, in her debut at Wimbledon, the Japanese walked to the center of Court 3 wearing a white kimono with full sleeves and elaborate embroidery. The outfit adhered to the All England Club’s strict white dress code, but added a theatrical touch that the audience eagerly awaited.
Osaka defeated Frenchwoman Elsa Jacquemot 6-1, 7-5. After the match, he explained the inspiration behind his choice.
“For me, my Japanese heritage means a lot. They say everything is white at Wimbledon and I thought it would be cool to go out in a kimono. I’m inspired by a lot of different things; one of my favorite movies is ‘Kill Bill’. I love Lucy Liu’s character, O-Ren Ishii, and she appears in this really iconic white kimono. I always tell people that sometimes I like to be like a video game character; I don’t want to be myself when I play. I try to embody her a little,” Osaka said in the on-court interview.
The ritual of fashion
The four-time Grand Slam champion has turned her outfits into an anticipated ritual. At the Australian Open she wore a wide-brimmed hat, veil and white parasol. At Roland Garros she wore a ceremonial black skirt with a beaded bodice, which then revealed a gold sequined dress.
Former player and BBC commentator Alicia Molik said: “It’s something we’ve been waiting for all day: to see what Naomi Osaka is going to show up in at Wimbledon.”
Osaka kept her kimono on during the warm-up, hung it on her chair, and the match began. The audience reacted enthusiastically; a fan shouted “Come on, queen!” as she entered.
When asked a recurring question about how she would handle the white rule, Osaka responded in a previous conference: “I have never thought of the color white as a restriction. There are so many different patterns, fabrics and textures that you can use.”
