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Where EAST meets the Northwest

COURT FASHION. Naomi Osaka of Japan walks onto the court to play against Elsa Jacquemot of France in the first round women’s singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London. Wimbledon’s strict rules about all-white clothing did not prevent Osaka from making another fashion statement as she walked onto the grass at the All England Club. Osaka wore a flowing kimono with swinging sleeves and elaborate embroidery as she walked onto the court. (AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska)

From The Asian Reporter, V36, #7 (July 6, 2026), pages 1 & 13.

By Mattias Karén

The Associated Press

LONDON — Wimbledon’s strict rules about all-white clothing did not prevent Naomi Osaka from making another fashion statement as she walked onto the grass at the All England Club.

Osaka, who has made a habit of creating a buzz with her creative outfits at recent Grand Slam tournaments, wore a flowing kimono with swinging sleeves and elaborate embroidery as she walked onto No. 3 Court for her first-round match against Elsa Jacquemot.

After winning 6-1, 7-5, Osaka said she got the inspiration for the outfit from a Quentin Tarantino movie.

"For me, my Japanese heritage means a lot. They say all white at Wimbledon and I thought it would be really cool to come out in a kimono," Osaka said in an on-court interview. "I just get inspired by a lot of different things, and for me, one of my favorite movies is Kill Bill. So I really love Lucy Liu’s character, O-Ren Ishii, and she comes out in this really iconic white kimono. I always tell people I like to be like a video game character sometimes, I don’t want to be myself when I’m playing on the court. And I kind of try to embody her a little."

The Japanese player’s latest creation drew a rave reaction from the crowd, many of whom were eagerly waiting with their phones aloft to record her entrance. One female fan shouted "C’mon queen!" as Osaka walked out.

"It’s something that we’ve been waiting for all day, right, what Naomi Osaka is going to appear in at Wimbledon," said Alicia Molik, the former top-10 ranked player who is doing commentary for the BBC.

Osaka kept her robe on as she bounced on her toes at the net while listening to instructions from the chair umpire. She then removed it and placed it on her chair to begin warmups before the match.

Osaka is far from the first player to make a fashion statement at Wimbledon, and wasn’t the only one to do so last month. Seven-time men’s champion Novak Djokovic, for instance, walked out for his match on Centre Court in a white blazer with green details.

But the four-time Grand Slam champion’s fashion creations and walk-ons are becoming an eagerly anticipated ritual at both Grand Slam tournaments and other events.

At the Australian Open this year, Osaka walked onto court wearing a wide-brim hat, a veil, and holding a white parasol. At the French Open, she came out for her opening match in a ceremonial black skirt and sleeveless beaded bodice, which she removed to reveal a sequined gold playing dress.

And at the Met Gala in New York, Osaka stunned in an edgy Robert Wun white sculptural fitted dress featuring exaggerated shoulders and adorned with red feathers and a matching headpiece. To complete her look, she wore two-toned red gloves.

The latest ensemble turned plenty of heads even before she stepped onto the grass.

Playing on No. 3 Court meant Osaka had to walk through part of the Wimbledon grounds to get to the stadium, giving some fans a sneak peak of her outfit.

"I could feel, when I walked by someone, they would physically turn their whole body," Osaka said. "I thought that was really fun."

Fellow players, meanwhile, have been full of questions about the kimono.

"I got asked if I only have one, because it’s all white, and what happens if I stain it," Osaka said.

At her post-match news conference, Osaka sported a lot more color to show off the Haitian side of her heritage. She wore a red-and-blue Haiti soccer jersey after the country played at a World Cup for the first time since 1974.

"I felt really proud of them," she said.

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