{"id":668754,"date":"2026-07-01T23:08:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T23:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/668754\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T23:08:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T23:08:10","slug":"naomi-osaka-tones-down-the-jellyfish-but-wimbledon-entrances-help-soothe-nerves-wimbledon-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/668754\/","title":{"rendered":"Naomi Osaka tones down the jellyfish, but Wimbledon entrances help soothe nerves | Wimbledon 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Naomi Osaka\u2019s on-court entrances have become almost as anticipated as her first serve. Two days after turning heads in a sculptural kimono-inspired creation embroidered with cranes and cherry blossom for her 2026 Wimbledon opener<\/a>, the four-time grand slam champion dressed to command attention again.<\/p>\n

The sweeping layers had been toned down \u2013 replaced by a cleaner silhouette featuring a traditional sash, a flowing train and a bomber jacket embroidered with flowers \u2013 but the effect was the same with photographers and fans crowding around her during the five-minute walk to No 2 Court on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Moments later, Osaka peeled away the outfit and quietly dismantled the Russian qualifier Anastasia Gasanova 6-3, 6-2 in just over an hour.<\/p>\n

The contrast between Osaka\u2019s fashion choices and her naturally reserved personality has become a fascinating subplot as she continues her rise back up the rankings since giving birth to her daughter in 2023.<\/p>\n

Off court she openly admits to being shy, even revealing that she mutes text conversations because she cannot cope with waiting for replies. Yet she repeatedly places herself at the centre of attention with increasingly elaborate walk-on outfits.<\/p>\n

Naomi Osaka turns heads with her kimono-inspired creation embroidered with cranes and cherry blossom. Photograph: Mike Egerton\/PA<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s funny,\u201d Osaka said. \u201cI do feel a little bit of nerves [stepping on to the court]. I want to make myself so used to that feeling that it doesn\u2019t bother me any more. And fashion\u00a0helps.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Australian Open was me throwing myself head first into it with the umbrella and the hat and everything,\u201d Osaka said, referring to her jellyfish-inspired outfit in Melbourne<\/a> this year. \u201cEver since then, I\u2019ve been pretty chill about it. We\u2019ve been a little bit tamer.\u201d<\/p>\n

While her opening-round ensemble paid tribute to the traditional embroidered Japanese kimono and a kanzashi hair ornament, Osaka\u2019s second-round look was more restrained. \u201cIt is an Obi, which is part of a traditional Japanese kimono,\u201d she said about the wide, decorative sash around her waist.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wore it with my Nike bomber jacket, which I thought was a really cool contrast. I wasn\u2019t able to wear that the first day so I\u2019m just trying to mix it up a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

After her opening-round victory, Osaka said the customs here prompted her to celebrate her heritage. \u201cWhen I think about Wimbledon<\/a>, it\u2019s obviously the all-white [dress regulations]. It\u2019s the oldest slam. There\u2019s the tradition of it all. In my head, when I think about that, I think about my cultures, which is Japanese and\u00a0Haitian.\u201d<\/p>\n

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double quotation markThe Australian Open was me throwing myself head first into it. Ever since then, we\u2019ve been a little bit tamer<\/p>\n

After her win over Gasanova, which set up a third-round match against Australia\u2019s Daria Kasatkina, Osaka explained that her fashion choices are rooted in one of Tokyo\u2019s vibrant neighbourhoods famous for its colourful street style and role in shaping kawaii culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in Florida \u2026 then I took a trip to Japan one day. You go to Harajuku and you see everyone expressing themselves through clothes. It was just so cool and colourful. That stuck out to me a lot. I use that in my fashion experimentation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Osaka, like any athlete who dares to do things differently, has attracted her share of criticism over her fashion choices. Some fans would rather the focus stay on the tennis, while opponents have questioned whether the walk-ons are a distraction.<\/p>\n

The world No 14, however, is encouraged to see more players embracing their own style, describing Taylor Fritz\u2019s Hugo Boss suit from his opening match<\/a> \u2013 reminiscent of Roger Federer\u2019s 2007 Wimbledon look \u2013 as \u201cpretty\u00a0cool\u201d.<\/p>\n

Naomi Osaka makes another fashion statement at the Australian Open in January. Photograph: Asanka Brendon Ratnayake\/AP<\/p>\n

Despite the theatrical entrances, Osaka insists there is no grand master plan. \u201cI don\u2019t really ever have a plan when it comes to clothes. I think it\u2019s OK to try something and fail, but I\u2019d rather just try it and see how it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The willingness to experiment says as much about Osaka\u2019s personality as anything she does with a racket, but it certainly has not distracted from her tennis. Against Gasanova, Osaka looked increasingly comfortable on grass, striking cleanly from the baseline and dictating points with the authority that once made her the world No 1.<\/p>\n

The straight-sets victory sent her into the Wimbledon third round for the fourth time, which continued an encouraging return to form, but will not be the only cause of celebration in the Osaka camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cTomorrow is my daughter\u2019s birthday and I just wanted to be here for longer. I didn\u2019t want to make her get on a plane on her birthday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to practise in the morning [tomorrow], but maybe after [we will] go around the park. She loves making friends.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Naomi Osaka\u2019s on-court entrances have become almost as anticipated as her first serve. Two days after turning heads…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":668755,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[101,118,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-668754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-sports","tag-tennis","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668754"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668754\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/668755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}