Naomi Osaka makes grand appearance and fashion statement at Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia — Naomi Osaka made a stylish appearance at the Australian Open on Tuesday wearing a sombrero, veil and white parasol as she took to Rod Laver Arena for her first-round match.
The No. 16 seed then defeated Antonia Ruzic 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in 2 hours and 22 minutes.
She explained in an on-court television interview that the symbolic butterflies on her hat and umbrella were a reference to her 2021 Australian Open title. The colors and tendrils on her dress represent jellyfish, and the design was inspired by her daughter Shai.
Osaka said her apparel sponsor, Nike, “asked me to design this one.”
“It’s modeled after jellyfish,” she said. “I’m grateful that I get to do what I love.”
Osaka won two of her four Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, the year a butterfly landed on her nose during the third round became one of the tournament’s iconic images.
The women’s tour posted on social media on Tuesday that Osaka’s arrival was an iconic “diva-level” entrance, describing the hat as “embellished with a butterfly and worn above the eye, just like Beyoncé in the singer’s “Formation” video.”
