Naomi Osaka shone yesterday during her Roland Garros opening round, in more ways than one.
After all, whilst her tennis was hugely impressive, it was once again her outfit that stole headlines.
She walked out onto court in an all-black dress, and shed that for her all-gold match kit, once again perfectly marrying fashion and couture with her tennis.
However, not everyone was as enamoured with this stunt, with Laura Siegemund, her opponent on the day, taking particular issue.
Laura Siegemund criticises Naomi Osaka’s outfit at Roland Garros
Speaking after the match to Eurosport, Siegemund was asked to give her thoughts on Naomi Osaka’s extravagant entrance onto court, draped in a long black dress.
Then, when she removed this overgarment, it revealed a shimmering gold tennis outfit, which sparkled as she strolled to a straight-sets victory.
The German was not so impressed though, noting: “No. I don’t care at all, I’m just here to play tennis, not putting on a fashion show.
“If others want to put on a fashion show, that’s fine with me.
“I sometimes find it a bit problematic because they pay attention to every last second at every tournament.”
This came after Osaka complained about Siegemund during their match, with the wily 38-year-old once again lambasted for wasting time.
Naomi Osaka backs up her flamboyance on the court
It’s odd that Siegemund claims that she’s ‘just here to play tennis’, as if that is not what Osaka did too.
She just managed to present it in a stylish package, and in doing so will definitely have brought more eyeballs to the sport.
What’s even more ironic is the fact that the Japanese tennis star, despite seemingly not fully focusing on tennis, managed to win in straight sets.
The four-time Grand Slam champion has earned the right to let her passion for fashion merge with her tennis, and she backs it up as well.
After all, at the Australian Open, where Osaka pulled a similar stunt, she looked like a real threat before she was forced to withdraw due to injury.
What could stop Naomi Osaka from winning a Grand Slam title in 2026?
Credit: Sofascore
Again, here at Roland Garros, the 28-year-old impressed against a tricky first-round opponent despite donning a new outfit.
Few can deny that the former world number one cannot back up her flamboyant entrances when on the court.
