A rising tennis player has slammed BBC pundits for attacking Naomi Osaka‘s bold outfit choices at the Australian Open. Osaka raised eyebrows when she entered the court for her first-round match against Antonia Ruzic sporting a unique pre-match look. She wore an ocean blue tie-dye tracksuit jacket and white wide-leg bottoms for the coin toss, along with a white umbrella.
The jellyfish-inspired look was curated by fashion designer Robert Wun, who has previously worked on pieces worn by the likes of Beyonce, Cardi B and Ariana Grande. It came from a vision Osaka had while she was reading to her two-year-old daughter, Shai. Not everybody loved the outfit, though, with Jamie Murray and Eliza Wastcoat among those who weren’t impressed.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Murray said: “I felt there was an element of disrespect to the sport of tennis,” while Wastcoat added: “It looked a bit cheap, a little bit tacky.”
It came after Wastcoat lasted Osaka’s attire in a video on her Instagram account, saying: “You are simply lying to yourself if you say you like Naomi Osaka’s walk on outfit.
“You know what? I am tired of my own argument that anything that gets people talking about tennis is a good thing, because tacky and tasteless fashion choices do not do the heritage of tennis or fashion any justice.”
Destanee Aiava, who was knocked out of the Australian Open qualifiers, issued a frosty response to Murray and Wastcoat on social media.
She wrote: “I really don’t think it’s that dramatic. Gosh no wonder this sport will always be seen as super stuffy to those on the outside.
“Comments like this feel too elitist. God forbid any player attempts to do something a little bit different and out of the box.”
Aiava later doubled down on her comments with an Instagram post, which read: “Just say you think tennis [is] only for the white people.
“You people forget that the only reason people give a f*** about watching tennis these days is because of people like Naomi [Osaka], the Williams sisters, Coco [Gauff], even Nick [Kyrgios].
“Controversy aside, y’all still talk about it, good or bad, because of them, because they’re not boring, even tho you s*** talk them. BFFR [be f***ing for real].”
Osaka is no longer competing at the Australian Open, having withdrawn from the tournament before her scheduled third-round match against Maddison Inglis because of an injury.