Style points
Giant bows. Tutus. Headpieces. Not usually items that make the sports headlines, but this is Naomi Osaka’s world we’re living in.
You might have seen, Osaka returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium this week with a first-round US Open win over Jelena Ostapenko. In the process, she just about broke the internet.
Her tennis was headline-worthy, for sure. It was a statement win, her first in three years on the court which made her a star, and the next step in her comeback from giving birth to her daughter last summer. It was also her first win over top 10 opposition in more than four years. Her tears after match point showed just how much this one meant.
But she really made waves before a ball was even hit. Largely because of the voluminous, lime green tutu she wore and the giant bow that trailed from her back as she walked into the world-famous arena.
Osaka is not a brash personality. Quite the opposite, she is one of the most softly-spoken players on tour. Stepping onto the court on Tuesday, she wore that same shy expression on her face that she has become known for during her career. It contrasted spectacularly with the maximalist custom Nike ensemble, designed by Yoon Ahn, that she was wearing. As is her way, Osaka let her outfit do the talking, before her racket did the rest.
Her general demeanour may fit into the ‘Demure’ category of social media trends, but her outfit was an ode to the ‘Brat’ summer that came before. It was the luminous green pop of colour. Then there was the aforementioned bow adorning the back of her warm-up top, the matching miniature bows on her tennis shoes and even her bespoke headphones. After the coin toss, she whipped off the layers of tulle tutu, revealing a frilly matching green and white dress underneath, with another bow on the back. The more you looked, the more charming details you noticed. It was creative, fun and a piece of theatre to match the sport.
Every major news outlet ran pieces about the fashion statement. One tennis influencer, Bastien Fachan, remarked that his post about her outfit was his first to ever hit 100,000 likes on Twitter (or X as it is now known).
Some might balk at the attention given to her outfit. Focus on the sport, not the frivolous fashion, they might say. Don’t sportswomen always ask to be judged on their ability, not the way they look or present? another might suggest.
But this element to sport - and tennis in particular - is part of the history. Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg, who wrote the biography Naomi Osaka, remarked: “Naomi Osaka still understands that the fashion has always been a part of the show in tennis, which I’m not sure anyone else of her generation quite does.”
Rothenberg makes a good point.
No one can say sport is purely, entirely about just sport. It’s about the spectacle, the off-court narratives, the on-court drama. To become a superstar you require the personality to match too.
Add in the unique challenges for women in sport, who routinely get far less coverage and attention, and that personality element becomes even more paramount. You can’t just be good at what you do, you have to be interesting too.
And fashion is a way that women athletes have expressed those personalities for decades. I’d argue tennis players understood that more than anyone very early on, way before brands like Nike were offering six-figure apparel contracts their way.
It is no secret that women’s tennis has long had to fight for relevance in a sporting world that denied it at every turn. Be it through prize money, sponsorship, playing opportunities or scheduling, it remains a constant and ongoing battle. But pioneers of the sport like the Original Nine, led by Billie Jean King, understood that sport and culture came hand-in-hand.
It is why King agreed to a risky Battle of the Sexes match with Bobby Riggs in 1973, which was as much about women’s rights and the media circus around it, as it was about the tennis at hand. She brought her friend and British designer Ted Tinling on board to create the perfect snazzy outfit for the occasion — a white dress with prominent lapels and a blue design, complete with rhinestones and sequins stitched in.
Tinling was a flamboyant presence on the tennis tour, the go-to designer for female players from the late 1940s through to the 1980s, and was even shunned from Wimbledon for three decades for designing a pair of lace-trimmed undershorts for Gussie Moran in 1949. With Tinling’s help, Moran was pushing the boundaries, even in post-war west London, and did not care that it got them in trouble with the stuffy Wimbledon membership.
Tinling made a name for himself by breaking from the norm and adding sparkle to tennis. Alongside King also designed dresses for stars including Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Tracy Austin. “He treated each player as an individual,” Austin said of Tinling. “[The dresses] matched up to the personalities of the players.”
Tinling recognised the potential in tennis to create fashion statements early, and then sportswear giants clocked on too — especially as the celebrity of players grew in the 1970s and 80s. On the men’s side, replicas of Bjorn Borg’s stripey Fila kit were being worn in nightclubs in the 80s, John McEnroe’s headband, curly mane and short-shorts were his signature, while later Andre Agassi threw out the rulebook with his mullet and denim shorts.
On the women’s side, there was all-American girl Evert, who paired her indomitable game with a ribbon in her blonde hair. She even coined the term ‘tennis bracelet’ which has been picked up by fashion houses the world over. I asked Evert about that story for an interview in the Telegraph in 2022.
During the 1978 US Open her diamond bracelet broke off her wrist mid-point, and when she explained afterward that it was her ‘tennis bracelet’ - the one she always wore during matches - the press picked up on it, as did jewellery brands and the name has stuck.
The details were fuzzy to her when I asked, as it had happened more than 40 years before, but she said: “I don’t remember everything, but I remember a green court, white lines, sweat – and I remember diamonds.”
She added: “I don’t apologise for it, I always wanted to look feminine on the court, whether it was wearing braids and putting a ribbon in my hair or wearing nail polish or a diamond bracelet. I always felt like you could still maintain that femininity and still be really strong and tough and athletic on the court. I feel like that is the modern woman.”
Evert laid the groundwork for the likes of Emma Raducanu and Maria Sharapova securing lucrative endorsement deals decades later with Tiffany & Co. and Swarovski respectively.
Sharapova was the first to have different outfits designed for her by Nike for day and night sessions in New York - as Osaka has at this tournament - while the story of tennis and fashion would not be complete without mention of the Williams sisters.
From Serena’s denim skirt, leopard-print dress and diamond-encrusted cape to Venus’s sheer black lace number and tassled skirt, inspired by Tina Turner, they always delivered something unique. The fashion pack, including Vogue editor Anna Wintour, have regularly positioned themselves in Serena’s player box too.
For most sports, Osaka’s might have been the first tutu moment in its history. But this is tennis, and Osaka was inspired to play tennis in the first place by the sporty-fashion pioneers that came before her: the Williams sisters. Serena famously wore her own Nike tutu at the 2018 US Open, along with fishnet tights and a one-sleeved leotard, in the tournament where she was beaten by a Japan’s young sensation, Osaka, in the final.
Looking back, I can confidently say that the fashion element of tennis drew me in as a child. I grew up obsessed with sport and fashion. For me, the perfect day consisted of laying out fashion magazines on the coffee table in our family living room, while tennis played on a loop on the TV in front of me. During the main European stops on the tour, that’s mostly what I did after school.
I remember waiting in anticipation to see what kind of outfit Sharapova, Serena, Venus and their peers would pick for each slam. I was as in awe of the style they served up as the forehands they played. These were powerful female athletes embracing their individuality (with the help of big-name sponsors) and incorporating it into the sport. It was something rare for me to see, especially as so little women’s sport was broadcast outside of the Olympics. Those two worlds I loved so much colliding on the court was special to me.
Since becoming a reporter on the women’s sport beat, I’ve also come to appreciate how sports kits can work as a barrier to participation for young girls, and even for professionals. Going beyond the style points here, it is only in recent years that we’ve seen sports like football, rugby and others adapt kit to fit and work for female bodies. Baggy men’s leftover kits were the norm for the likes of Lionesses Lucy Bronze and Jill Scott early in their careers. Football and rugby boots are still often not designed for female feet. This isn’t just about the aesthetics, it is also about making kit that can work for athletes’ needs.
Fashion can go hand-in-hand with practicality too. In Serena’s case, her now iconic black catsuit at the French Open — designed to help prevent blood clots in her legs postpartum — was threatened with a ban, in a tone-deaf move organisers later retracted. Her choice was about health, as well as being a bonafide fashion statement.
Even without the Williams sisters on tour, tennis remains a fashionable sport. ‘Tennis-core’ became all the range last summer. Hollywood’s Zendaya starred in the hit movie ‘Challengers’ and made the WTA and ATP tour her runway, wearing tennis-inspired looks in the stands at all the major stadiums around the world.
Fashion houses took note, with their own odes to pleated mini skirts and country club chic, and influencers descended on the tournaments too. For the traditional, hardcore tennis fan, it might not mean much, but the sport forming part of wider culture - through fashion, film and social media - only helps boost popularity.
Osaka returning to the tour is good for tennis for so many reasons. First and foremost, she is a four-time major champion and fantastic player. She is also a real household name, and women’s tennis has not got plenty of those to spare in this post-Serena era.
She has always made brave choices when it comes to what she wears, never more so than when she wore face masks with the names of Black victims of police brutality in 2020. Osaka understands the power of her persona, her brand, and has used it to great effect for causes she believes in.
Her latest creation is inspired by her Japanese heritage, Harajuku style, and is all about embracing her playful side. It may even help free her up on court, and the feel-good vibes might inspire a meaningful run in New York, in a way she has rarely been able to do so far during this comeback season.
“The inspiration that fueled the look for me — and this might be a Japanese term — is feeling like a ‘magical girl’ on the court,” she said in a Nike press statement. “There’s a moment of transformation for me when I walk onto the court, and I have a lot of fun playing, so wanting everyone who sees the outfit to connect with that feeling is a really big motivation for me.”
After her match, she added: “I feel like being able to be a part of my tennis outfits gives me, I would say, a different strength. Especially the US Open outfits, I feel like they are a little bit more flamboyant. When I was putting on my outfit today, I was, like, ah, I hope this isn’t too much! I think for me when I put on the outfit it’s almost like a super suit, so I try to channel that.”
We live in a world where women are constantly policed and judged for the way they look anyway, so to me it is refreshing to see a player have fun with her style on court. Especially someone like Osaka, who has made no secret of the mental health challenges she has contended with throughout her career.
Away from cultural moments and personal preferences, let’s also be real — bringing fashion onto the court is also a way for women in sport to stand out and attract sponsorship deals. According to Forbes, Osaka is the eighth best-paid tennis player this year, despite only making $600,000 on court. Off the court, she has reportedly made $14million, and has new partnerships with Etsy, Maybelline, Meta AI and ZICO Coconut Water. Her media company, Hana Kuma, is also creating brand campaigns for LPGA Tour golfers, so spreading out her influence is also figuring into her plans.
Considering women are paid less than men across the sports world, dipping a toe into the fashion world — or diving head first as Osaka has — seems a smart move in my book.
Hope you enjoyed my take, that’s all for this week!
A small head’s up, next week will be behind a paywall. I really appreciate everyone who reads this Substack, but if anyone would like to consider a paid subscription, you can find info below for 20% off for existing free subscribers!
Thanks for reading,
Molly x