Naomi Osaka back in her full kimono as part of her traditional Japanese dress-inspired Wimbledon walk-on look – as Grand Slam star sparks catwalk copycats on both sides of the draw

After opting to hit the court in a lightweight walking outfit on Wednesday, Naomi Osaka returned to wearing her full kimono on Court No. 1 in her third-round match against Daria Kasatkina on Friday.

The four-time Grand Slam champion, known for her podium entrances at the Grand Slams, wowed the crowd with a striking homage to the Japanese ceremonial dress in her opening match against Elsa Jacquemot.

This time, Osaka went back to her original look with an ivory tulle train, but ditched her obi belt and wore the design open underneath her match kit.

Wimbledon’s strict dress code means the Japanese star can only wear white, but that didn’t stop her from making her typically grand entrances while paying homage to the traditional ceremonial dress. Green underwear is also allowed after the rule change in 2022.

For the first round, Osaka wore her sensational custom white kimono, a nod to the outfit worn by the character Lucy Liu in the iconic Quentin Tarantino film, with an obi belt, long tulle bow and deep bell-shaped sleeves, covered in embroidered cranes and cherry blossoms, both enduring symbols of Japanese culture.

‘When I think of Wimbledon, it’s clearly all-white,’ Osaka said after her opening round victory. ‘This is the oldest tournament, isn’t it? Then obviously everything has a tradition.

Osaka looked stunning on Court No. 1, sporting a stripped-down version of the look in the second round

‘When I think about this, I think about my cultures, my Japanese and Haitian heritage. Later, when I dive deeper into Japanese culture, the most iconic silhouette comes to my mind, and that is the kimono. You don’t need to see the color of a kimono to know it’s a kimono.

‘I was also thinking about my favorite movies. I love Kill Bill. I remembered that I was absolutely in love with Lucy Liu’s character. She has an all white kimono and I remember thinking that was really cool and gorgeous. Then it just kind of went from there. That was like my interpretation of it, I also show great respect and love for Japan.’

Osaka completed her outfit with the kanzashi hair ornament worn by geishas in the past, which she wore again on Friday, and Mikimoto jewelry from the famous Japanese luxury pearl brand. Tokyo-based designer Hana Yagi was also inspired by the Japanese art of paper cutting, kirigami.

Yagi told Vogue magazine: ‘The clothing consists of vintage shiromuku (traditional Japanese bridal attire), kimonos and wedding gowns; ‘These are actually ceremonial robes created to mark important moments in people’s lives.’

After shaking hands with Jacquemot during the first round match, Osaka walked over to her chair and removed the outfit, which was created in removable layers, revealing a white Nike match dress with matching embroidery.

“I thought it was really fun because I thought no one expected it,” Osaka added. ‘I’m trying to lock in a little bit and put my headphones on. When I passed someone I could physically feel them turn their entire body. I thought this was really fun.

‘It was so beautiful because I heard some people say, ‘Wow, that’s a really beautiful kimono’ and things like that. So it was nice.

‘I’m used to wearing these extravagant clothes and stuff. I think everyone has their own way of showing that they are into fashion. Every time I go to the locker room I’m amazed, I get a lot of questions about it.

“Some players asked if I only have one, because they are all white and what happens if I stain it,” Osaka added. ‘They said: If you stain it, do you have to paint it from now on? Some people were asking if it was against the rules to dye it and then does that mean not wearing all white? Because I’m taking it off and everything.’

On Wednesday, he took a long walk to the Second Palace with his ivory train tied to a thick obi belt.

Osaka is famous for its podium entries at Grand Slams and did the same at SW19

The Japanese superstar wore a white kimono for the first time in Monday’s first round match

Osaka is not the only tennis star to bring the fashion show to the courts, after American Taylor Fritz appeared in the opening match wearing an all-white suit by Hugo Boss.

Fritz channeled his inner Roger Federer with a matching white bag and headband; This prompted immediate comparisons to the outfit worn by the eight-time Wimbledon champion in 2007.

Fritz, who made it clear that he was less comfortable on the podium than Osaka, said: ‘I think BOSS came to me with the idea of ​​doing this and that’s what we did.’ ‘You know, I wasn’t 100% sure how I felt, but after seeing the pictures after the match, I felt like everything was fine.

‘I think people will fall apart. I think some people will like it and some will think that someone who dresses up to go out is doing too much.

‘[You feel] Maybe you might not be more nervous, but you show up in full regalia and get cut in the first round, you look a little silly. ‘You look really stupid to be honest.’

Fortunately, Fritz, who was to face Jack Draper until the Briton withdrew due to injury, advanced to the second round in straight sets against Dusan Lajovic.

BOSS athlete Matteo Berrettini also admitted that he too was planning a walk-on outfit but it was banned by Wimbledon.

Berrettini explained on Thursday evening: ‘There was actually an option but I was rejected by Wimbledon. It wasn’t white enough. It was a bit off-white. Afterwards, its color was slightly brownish.

‘I don’t know. I saw it once. Yes, there was an option, but they did not let me do it. No problem.’

Osaka’s latest bold entry comes just weeks after her sparkling gold ‘Eiffel Tower’ dress and various walking outfits at the French Open sparked accusations from her rival that she prioritized fashion over tennis.

Osaka, who earns £7.5 million a year from her deal with Nike, refused to back down and took to the pitch in Paris wearing a range of upcycled jackets and skirts made from old match clothes.

Taylor Fritz also participated in designing a walking outfit for her time at Wimbledon this year.

The 28-year-old actress wore a matching sequined jacket and skirt over her dress in the fourth round defeat to Aryna Sabalenka, the first women’s match to be held in three years at the prestigious evening program at Court Philippe-Chatrier. She attended the previous two tours with ivory and brown trains attached to the back of her outfit.

Osaka was accused by her first round opponent Laura Siegemund of not coming to Roland Garros ‘to play tennis’; The Japanese star arrived in a flowing black skirt and corset before debuting a sparkling gold dress that she thought resembled the famous French monument at night.

The black corset and skirt designed by fashion designer Kevin Garmanier were made using the inner layers of one of his jackets, while old tennis skirts and dresses were also cut and reused. The garment was then covered in hundreds of hand-applied crystals.

“I came here to play tennis, not to put on a fashion show,” Siegemund told TNT Sports. ‘And if others want to organize a fashion show, then they should do it. That’s totally fine with me.’

Jacquemot had no such problem at Wimbledon. “I think it shows her personality,” she told Daily Mail Sport after the 6-1 7-5 defeat to Osaka. ‘Honestly, it doesn’t bother me at all. Her clothes are beautiful, so it’s great.

‘It’s honestly beautiful and we can tell a lot of thought went into it. It’s all about the details and the little touches.’

Osaka’s second round opponent in Paris, Donna Vekic, had a similar opinion. ‘Some people take tennis very seriously,’ he said. ‘Relax, it’s just an outfit. I think it’s good for her to do different things and express herself through fashion. ‘Whether it’s good or bad, it’s something different, it’s fashion.’

Osaka famously wore a jellyfish-inspired outfit at the Australian Open in January; Rod Laver arrived at the Arena wearing a wide-brimmed white veil and umbrella hat, then warmed up in a ruffled jacket and a dress that looked like tentacles.

She arrived on court at Indian Wells wearing a black mesh and cheetah-print Nike dress, sneakers and jacket, along with tribal-inspired jewelry on her lips, nose and ears.

Fashionista Osaka turned heads with her ‘skin shedding’ performance at this year’s Met Gala, where she wore a white jacket covered in red feathers to resemble blood on the entrance steps and then revealed a blood red and crystal dress designed to resemble exposed muscles, tendons and nerves.

Osaka turned heads with a jellyfish-inspired warm-up outfit at the Australian Open in January

At the Met Galae, she wore a blood red and crystal dress designed to resemble exposed muscles, tendons and nerves.

“It’s so fun to watch designers work, especially when there’s something pre-existing that they have to design around,” said Osaka in Paris, who admitted that she brought spare dresses to Roland Garros because she was worried her gold Nike outfit might blind the audience.

‘When I first saw the dress in real life, I felt like I looked like the Eiffel Tower shining at night,’ she said. ‘Then I got a little worried because when the sun hits the dress it reflects a lot. ‘I was a little afraid the referee would send me off the field.’

‘Sometimes people talk about athletes in show business, entertainers or things like that,’ Osaka said. ‘For me, I think the Grand Slam marches are the only time I feel like an entertainer.’