Naomi Osaka lit up the Australian Open before her match had even begun.
The Japanese star sent Rod Laver Arena wild, as Osaka walked onto the court wearing an extravagant outfit.
Her performance didn’t quite match the look, as she struggled through in three sets, but Osaka certainly made a statement.
The Australian Open is the best Grand Slam… discuss!
But what was the statement?
Was it that Osaka is a fashion icon, or something else?
Naomi Osaka proves that tennis is no longer stuck in the past
There aren’t many sports more ‘traditional’ than tennis.
And that’s putting a positive spin on things, as some would even suggest tennis is ‘old-fashioned’ or ‘stuck-up’.
If you could change one rule in tennis what would it be and why?
If you don’t believe that, just look at the outrage whenever anything new is suggested.
New formats, new tournaments, new rules… They rarely go down well.
But times are changing, and so is tennis.
Osaka’s outfit would have been widely criticised in years gone by, and while not everyone is a fan, the reception has been mostly positive.
On TalkingPoints, one fan shared their thoughts on Osaka’s fashion statement.
“Fabulous,” they said.
“Only Naomi [Osaka] can pull that off.”
It didn’t take long for Osaka’s entrance to go viral, and the video of her walk on received millions of views on social media within hours.
The interest proves that fans want to see more than two players hitting a ball for a couple of hours.
Fans want to be let in behind the scenes, they want to see dramatic entrances, and so much more.
Tournaments like Wimbledon are steeped in tradition, and rightly so, but there’s still room for innovation.
Allowing players to showcase their personality almost always adds to the product, and they should be encouraged to do so more often.
Why not give every player a proper walk-on? With music, outfits, etc.
Last year at the Australian Open, home favorite Destanee Aiava proposed that players be allowed to choose their own walk-on music.
“Can somebody on the player council put forward a request for walk-on songs that we choose ourselves?” she said on X.
“Especially if [you and your opponent] have beef and [you’re] throwing shade from the get-go with your choice of walk-on song.”
While the avid tennis fan may know who the world number 100 is, how they play, and what their personality is like, a casual fan likely won’t have a clue.
That’s where this new era of tennis can help, as the less traditional, more ‘showbiz’ version of the sport has the opportunity to introduce players to the fans in more ways than one.
We’re not expecting Novak Djokovic to turn up to his next match with an umbrella, but you get the gist…
What was the meaning behind Naomi Osaka’s Australian Open outfit?
After Osaka beat Antonia Ruzic, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, Jelena Dokic asked her about the outfit.
“Nike let me design this one,” she said.
“It’s modelled after a jellyfish.
“I’m so grateful that I get to be able to do the things that I love; it’s really beautiful.
“There’s a butterfly on the hat, and there’s a butterfly on the umbrella too; it has to do with the Australian Open that I won in 2021, which I guess is a long time ago.”
A butterfly landed on Osaka during the 2021 Australian Open, a tournament she later won.
During her post-match press conference, Osaka shared whether she wished other players did more with their entrances.
“Sure. Like, for me, I will say this, but I grew up with the G.O.A.T.s of style, Serena [Williams], Venus [Williams], [Maria] Sharapova. People don’t talk about her enough, but Bethanie Mattek-Sands, too. She made it work with what she had,” said Osaka.
“I think it all comes down to personality, too. I don’t expect someone who’s really reserved to freaking put a veil on their head and go out and play their match.
“But I think people, I don’t know, you see bits of personality. I’ve seen people with bows in their hair. I think that’s always going to be the first step into something. I’m always curious to see what the next thing is.”
Only time will tell if anyone will follow in Osaka’s footsteps, but it will certainly be something to look out for…
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