Naomi Osaka's Fashion Statement at the US Open 2023

Naomi Osaka has turned the Grand Slam season into her own travelling runway, and New York was never going to be an exception.

Under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the two-time US Open champion strode out in a hooded tunic that looked part archive, part artwork. Patchwork-style panels were covered in press clippings from her past tournament appearances, a literal scrapbook of her career stitched into the fabric, while a billowing white tulle train floated behind her as she walked to her chair.

The message was clear: every step is part of the story.

Osaka has owned the fashion conversation all year. At Wimbledon, she nodded to her Japanese roots with a kimono-inspired ensemble, complete with a traditional kanzashi hair ornament, before switching into a regulation white Nike kit for match play. In Paris, she arrived at Roland Garros in a black Kevin Germanier skirt and then took the court in a layered yellow, brown and gold outfit, a shimmering tribute to the Eiffel Tower’s night-time glow. In Australia, her look took its cues from a jellyfish, fluid and otherworldly.

New York demanded something different. Something louder.

At Flushing Meadows, Osaka is competing in an Allen Iverson-inspired playing kit, a basketball-infused look that fits the city and her mood. She made the reference explicit.

“It’s my tribute to Iverson,” she said of the NBA Hall of Famer. “I really like him a lot. Nike said basketball, so I said, ‘You want basketball, I’ll give you basketball.’ I like expressing myself through clothes, and I’m glad you guys appreciate it.”

The outfit set the tone. The match tried to complicate it.

Facing unseeded Russian Anastasia Zakharova, ranked 101 in the world, Osaka appeared on course for a routine night when she raced out to a 4-1 lead in the opening set. The ball was coming clean off the strings, the crowd was settling in, and the scoreline looked like a formality.

Zakharova refused to play the role of supporting act. She dug in, tightened up her game and dragged the set into a tie-break. The pressure finally told in Osaka’s favour, her heavier hitting and bigger moments edging her across the line 8-6 in the breaker.

The pattern repeated in the second set. Osaka, the 13th seed and champion here in 2018 and 2020, had chances to pull away. Zakharova kept coming back, forcing a second tie-break and stretching the contest well past midnight.

Osaka’s composure held. She controlled the key points, closed out the second breaker 7-3 and sealed a 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/3) win as the clock crept towards 12:30 am local time.

“I would say it took everything [to win],” she admitted on court, glancing at the late hour. “I have no idea what time it is. Thanks for staying.”

There was gratitude, and a hint of relief.

“I’m grateful to be able to play on this court again,” she told the fans. “I just told myself to not have any regrets. I wanted to come out and compete … I was a little rusty. I get nervous in the first rounds. I want to do well and show you guys new outfits.”

The tennis is still catching up to the theatre, but it is catching up. The fight through two tie-breaks, the willingness to grind under pressure, hinted at the champion who has lifted this trophy twice.

Next comes Czech player Kateřina Siniaková in the second round. Another night session, another walk-on, another chance for Osaka to prove that the most striking thing about her in New York won’t just be what she’s wearing.