Contents
On Tuesday, Japan’s Naomi Osaka beat Latvia’s Jeļena Ostapenko within the first spherical of the US Open.It is a massive deal for 2 causes: Osaka, who’s at the moment ranked No. 88, received towards a Prime 10 participant for the primary time in over 4 years. Ostapenko is ranked No. 10.Moreover, Osaka, a 2018 and 2020 US Open champion, returned to the New York Metropolis event after taking final yr off. In July 2023, she gave beginning to her first little one, a daughter with rapper Cordae.Notably, Osaka is marking her US Open comeback with two matching customized outfits: one for daytime play that she debuted Tuesday and one for nighttime matches. Each are supposed to honor her Japanese heritage.Osaka stepped onto the courtroom in a inexperienced competitors costume, white jacket, sneakers, and Bose headphones, all adorned with outstanding bows. She even practiced within the full look, sans the headphones after all.The appears to be like are a collaboration between Nike and Japanese designer Yoon Ahn. Osaka opened up concerning the inspiration for the joyous look in an interview with the New York Occasions earlier this week.“The inspiration for me was positively Japanese, like Harajuku,” she instructed the publication. “I keep in mind one of many first instances I went to Japan, I noticed so many frills and so many bows.”Ahn described the 2 outfits as “Lolita goth,” a preferred Japanese type pattern. “They exit and put on pink, frills, bows, lace. It’s about actually proudly owning the cutesy-ness and the girly-hood,” she mentioned.Whereas Osaka would not think about her competitors outfits “dangerous,” noting she grew up on Serena Williams’s groundbreaking competitors type, the athlete does see them as akin to a “super-suit” that provides her confidence and might even be “a bit of intimidating” for her opponent.“Particularly with this outfit. It’s so massive, perhaps it’ll create a much bigger presence,” she mentioned.As for the colour decisions, she associates inexperienced with “peace and serenity.”Ought to Osaka play an evening match on the US Open, she’ll debut the black model of her outfit. There is a motive she picked black.“For me, black is energy,” she instructed the publication. “For me, that’s the super-suit shade. I really feel a bit of bit like Black Panther.” New York Occasions debuted pictures of Osaka in her black competitors outfit, which you’ll be able to see right here.Naomi will tackle Russia’s Karolína Muchová within the second spherical on Thursday. A match time has not but been introduced.
