Naomi Osaka Tokyo drifts back into tennis fashion as she expands vision beyond Grand Slams
Naomi Osaka has expanded her tennis fashion vision once again.
The four-time major champion took her tradition of wearing elaborate walk-out outfits ahead of Grand Slam matches down a couple rungs Tuesday, debuting a custom blue-and-white robe emblazoned with cranes ahead of her first match at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. The tournament, a WTA 500, is played two levels below a Grand Slam.
Osaka, who won the tournament in 2019, last played the event in 2022.
She returned to Asia’s fashion capital with a bang Tuesday, defeating Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 7-6(4) in front of a partisan crowd.
Although Osaka has worn elaborate costumes over her match outfits sporadically for years, she made them a signature in 2026, commissioning different designers to craft thematic, dramatic outfits for each of the four majors.
At the Australian Open she went with a flowing jellyfish-inspired ensemble; she wore a bronze, Eiffel Tower-themed overskirt and corset at the French Open; donned a regal, white kimono that nodded to a character from the movie Kill Bill for Wimbledon; and paid homage to basketball legend Allen Iverson at the U.S. Open.
But rarely has she debuted a special walk-out getup at an event that sits below a Grand Slam on the WTA three-tier ladder.
She wore a leopard-themed Nike outfit dubbed the “huntress” kit at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif. in March, which is traditionally viewed as the biggest of the WTA 1000-level tournaments, played at a level below the Grand Slams.
Osaka had otherwise laughed off wearing elaborate getups at non-Grand Slam tournaments, where her big, custom looks might feel like a mismatch for the moment. Plus, Osaka commissions designers to create the outfits herself, while Nike takes care of just her match clothing. It’s a long, involved process to create such meticulous, thematic costumes.
“I feel like I do little moments, cute little detail-oriented moments in the other tournaments. I mean, you guys want me to pull up to Cincinnati in a ball gown,” Osaka said during Wimbledon this year, laughing.
Tokyo, of course, is no Cincinnati.
The combination of Tokyo’s status as a global fashion hub, Osaka’s massive celebrity in Japan and her return to the tournament after four years was a big enough moment for the 29-year-old to unleash her creativity — which she’s been nurturing since the U.S. Open at least in part by popping up at Milan Fashion Week.
She attended shows for Ferragamo, Roberto Cavalli and Moschino in Italy in late September, sporting looks from each designer, her title of tennis’s top fashionista well intact.
Ahead of the tournament, Osaka also reflected on what her future off the court might look like. Speaking in a news conference, the 29-year-old said that she would not continue to play if her daughter, Shai, suggested that she wanted Osaka to reduce her travel.
“I think my daughter is my biggest priority and I try my best to put as much energy as I can into tennis,” Osaka said.
“So like if I think about it in certain ways, I’m really proud of where I am now because it’s not like I can dedicate my entire time to this sport. And I feel like some people would die to be in the top 20 and I’m kind of just like, I wouldn’t say part timing it, but like my entire day doesn’t consist of that.
“I mean it’s tough. Like sometimes I look towards my future and I often wonder how long am I going to play like because if my daughter did say she didn’t want me to travel as much, I’m not the type of person to ignore that.”
Osaka will face Mia Pohánková of Slovakia in the next round.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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