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Naomi Osaka of Japan walks onto Rod Laver Arena for her first round match against Antonia Ruzic of Croatia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Naomi Osaka made possibly one of the greatest entrances ever made by a tennis player when she walked out onto the main court at Melbourne Park for the last match of the day while sporting a white umbrella, a white-brim hat and draped in a white veil.
Osaka, seeded 16th at the Australian Open and set to face 65th ranked Antonia Ruzic of Croatia for her first round encounter left former Wimbledon hopeful Tim Henman speechless on TNT Sport.
“No, no, this is over to you two… I am not qualified. Wow,” blurted out Henman. Laura Robson, who was on commentary call with Henman, also couldn’t help but admire the two-time Grand Slam winner’s fashion choice.
Naomi Osaka with the grandest of grand entrances at the Australian Open!
Married to the game 👰♀️ pic.twitter.com/g3IaAXu29v
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) January 20, 2026
“I think we have to really soak in this moment. It’s a vibe. She really does help design her walk-on outfits, the whole look has been thought out. Can she even see in that? I am not sure.”
She then added, “We just saw the warm-up jacket but this is phenomenal. Wow, I love it, this is a moment. Who has got her tennis bag is my question.”
Osaka’s tennis bag was already at her seat on court and was possibly brought in earlier as it wouldn’t have gone with her planned outfit.
She had earlier spoken about her outfit choice to Vogue and said, “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,” Osaka said. “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 also told the magazine that the design was conceptualised by Robert Wun, a couturier who had also worked on pieces for Beyonce, Ariana Grande and Cardi B.
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The vision for the outfit came to Osaka when she was reading to her two-year-old daughter Shai and both chanced upon an image of a jellyfish.
She took the idea to Nike to incorporate into her Australian Open look but felt that the final product was incomplete. That’s where Wun came in and the duo ended up creating a fashion moment.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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