Paris [France], May 29: Naomi Osaka made another fashion statement at the French Open on Thursday as she moved through to the third round.
The Japanese star has made collaborating with fashion designers a feature of major tournaments and she caused a stir in the first round when she took to the court wearing a long black skirt and jacket, which she removed to reveal a sequinned gold dress.
For her second-round clash with Croatia's Donna Vekic, Osaka donned a golden bomber jacket and long ivory train.
"For the outfit, the inspo (inspiration) was, I don't want to say Victorian, but the ladies that have the dresses with the poof in the background," she explained after her 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 victory.
Osaka's use of the tennis court as akin to a catwalk has divided opinions, with her first-round opponent Laura Siegemund telling German TV: "I couldn't care less. I come here to play tennis, not to put on a fashion show."
But Vekic is a fan, saying: "I think it's good that she's doing different things, expressing herself through fashion. Whether it's good (fashion) or bad, that's a different thing, it's fashion.
"Some people take tennis way too seriously. Relax, it's just an outfit. It's not such a big deal. She has the opportunity to do that, so why not?"
While Osaka's tennis has been overshadowed by her clothes, this is her best run at Roland Garros since 2019 and she will take on American teenager Iva Jovic next.
The 16th seed, meanwhile, revealed that, like Coco Gauff, she has been involved in a minor car crash in Paris.
"I wasn't scared for my life, but I was just, like, 'Whoa, this bus is really backing up into us', and you could hear the car crunching," she said. "That was a really interesting situation. So I hope it doesn't happen again today."
World number one Aryna Sabalenka and defending champion Gauff both moved into the last 32 with straight-sets wins.
Sabalenka came through a tough first set against France's Elsa Jacquemot before pulling away to win 7-5, 6-2 while Gauff saw off Mayar Sherif 6-3, 6-2.
Sixth seed Amanda Anisimova only needed to spend 25 minutes on court, taking the first set 6-0 against Julia Grabher before the ailing Austrian called it a day.
Serena reportedly in
discussions to make
return to tennis
Serena Williams is reportedly in discussions to make a stunning return to professional tennis at Queen's Club next month.
Rumours have been rife of a potential comeback for the 23-time grand slam champion since it was revealed last December that she had re-entered the anti-doping programme - a prerequisite to play on the tour again.
She immediately tried to dismiss the idea but the Served podcast, hosted by former world number one Andy Roddick, who is a good friend of Williams, reported on Thursday morning that a return was imminent.
The podcast claimed that the 44-year-old is set to play doubles with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko at the HSBC Championships at Queen's beginning on June 8, with the Daily Telegraph also reporting that she has requested a doubles wild card.
The Lawn Tennis Association, which runs the event, declined to comment while a Wimbledon spokesperson said the All England Club will hold a meeting to decide wild cards, with the first batch announced in the week of June 15.
Williams has not played a match since a glittering farewell at the US Open in 2022, although she pointedly did not say she was retiring, instead describing it as "evolving away" from tennis.
She gave birth to her second daughter the following year and has recently talked about the large amount of weight she has lost.
If Williams does make her return in Britain, it will be one of the biggest sport stories of the year, with speculation that the seven-time Wimbledon champion could also look to play singles.
Asked whether the news is good for tennis, Naomi Osaka said: "I don't really care about tennis. I think it's good for me. I'll be very entertained.
"I think it will bring people to watch tennis, which she always does bring an audience with her. So I think it's good.
"I'm going to be tuned into the first match, for sure. I think a lot of people are. Everyone knows Serena and Venus were my role models growing up, so it's going to be cool to see her on the grounds again."
Source: Qatar Tribune
