Naomi Osaka turns RLA into a runway

MELBOURNE: Style had its moment on Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday. In the white parasol Naomi Osaka carried onto court, in the butterfly pinned to her wide-brimmed hat, her head slightly angled beneath a blusher veil.

And in the flick of her wrist, part greeting, part declaration, came the unmistakable message, it was love-all in the Glam Slam.The Japanese powerhouse turned the Australian Open’s edgy trudge into a catwalk strut, arriving in a pleated miniskirt layered over wide-legged trousers. The 28-year-old four-time major winner and former world No.1 drew inspiration for her match gear from bedtime stories she reads to her two-year-old daughter, Shai, weaving jellyfish-esque elements through a watery turquoise and green palette.

Once the parasol and veil were shed and the warm-up jacket slipped on, the look revealed soft frills and flowing, ruffled details that completed the theme.“It came together quite beautifully because I didn't know what to expect when I arrived here,” Osaka said. “Then it just felt like everywhere I looked the theme was water. Obviously (in) the walkout you see oceans and waves. I thought that was really beautiful. Really amazing coincidence.”

Osaka explained that she grew up on the GOAT fashion choices of the Williams sisters – Serena and Venus – Russian Maria Sharapova, as also the creative styling of Bethanie Mattek-Sands.“It all comes down to personality, I don’t expect someone that's really reserved to freaking put a veil on their head and go out and play their match,” she said. “I’ve seen people with bows in their hair. I think that's always going to be the first step into something.

I'm always curious to see what the next thing is.” Osaka, frequently characterized as shy and reserved, glides to the other end of the spectrum with her over-the-top fashion choices.“When I was 13, I went to Japan for the first time, I went to Harajuku,” she said of the street in Tokyo known for eclectic creative self-expression.“It felt like people could be themselves with their clothes. For me, I feel like when I step on the court, I'm not the me that you're talking to right now.

I would never yell, c'mon that loud in a normal setting. I feel like I'm a Barbie that dresses up and goes on the court and does something. When I come back in the locker room is when I'm like my true quiet Naomi.”Osaka’s choices was met with applause from world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, who admitted that she’d love the license to create her own style.Watching Osaka walk out onto the court was a trigger for the Belarussian. She hoped that one day she’d be able to bring her own way to the table.Sabalenka, one of a growing group of players with her own jewellery line, said, “that’s really beautiful about fashion that you can express yourself in any way. It's a free world. There is no judgment. Some people see fashion in one way and other people see fashion in another way. That's why it's so beautiful, you can feel free and show yourself, show your personality.”“Yesterday that was a perfect fit of Noami’s personality, her culture, a lot of things.

That was pretty cool,” Sabalenka added. “For me, I wish they (sponsors) would let me do this kind of stuff, but not for this year. I think (if I got a chance) I would do a more classy entrance. Maybe, a long coat...”For now, Osaka’s walk-on served as a reminder that tennis’ entrances are no longer just about crossing the baseline and starting the warm-up. In an era where players increasingly use fashion as a form of self-expression, the Australian Open offered a stage where individuality, culture and performance could briefly share the spotlight before tennis took over