LONDON (AP) — Wimbledon's strict rules about all-white clothing didn't prevent Naomi Osaka from making another fashion statement as she walked onto the grass at the All England Club on Monday.
Osaka, who has made a habit of creating a buzz with her creative outfits at recent Grand Slam tournaments, wore a flowing kimono-like robe with swinging sleeves and elaborate embroidery as she walked onto No. 3 Court for her first-round match against Elsa Jacquemot.
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. “A bit of inspiration from, perhaps, a bygone era as well.”
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 started.
The four-time Grand Slam champion's fashion creations have become so eagerly anticipated that Osaka faced plenty of questions before the tournament about how she would handle the all-white rule at the All England Club.
“Literally everyone keeps asking me that and I've never thought of the color white being a restriction,” Osaka said Sunday. “I feel like there’s so many different patterns, fabrics, textures that you can use.”
And use them, she did.
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AP Sports Writer Ken Maguire contributed to this report.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
