Naomi Osaka is back on court, and so is the fashion around her. Tennis may be the reason she is at the US Open, but once again, her outfit is fighting for just as much attention. Osaka has never been shy about turning a Grand Slam entrance into a runway moment, but her latest look has divided fans for all the wrong reasons.
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“I want to do well, and I want to show you guys some more outfits… It’s my tribute to Iverson. I really like him a lot… Nike said basketball, so I said, okay, you want basketball, I’ll do basketball… I love expressing myself through clothes. I don’t like talking that much,” said the Japanese player.
Naomi Osaka won her opening US Open match, but her outfit became the talking point of the whole game. The 2-time champion defeated Anastasia Zakharova 7-6(6), 7-6(3) inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Before the match began, Osaka walked onto the court wearing an elaborate Allen Iverson-inspired outfit.
She wore a distressed hooded top with a cascading white tulle skirt, cornrows, a headband, and Iverson-inspired arm sleeves. Newspaper clippings from Osaka’s career were also stitched into the outfit, adding another personal touch.
Who Decides War designed the outfit, while celebrity stylist Law Roach was behind Osaka’s overall look.
Osaka explained that Nike wanted something basketball-themed, so she took inspiration and paid tribute to Iverson. She said Iverson changed NBA fashion and influenced athletes expressing themselves through clothing. And she is doing the same thing.
For Osaka, Iverson was bigger than basketball. She called him a trailblazer who changed how athletes used fashion to express themselves.
The tribute became bigger when Iverson responded after seeing Osaka’s comments before her match. “Wow, what an honor!! BIG FAN can’t wait to meet you,” Iverson wrote on social media.
However, some fans felt Naomi Osaka’s fashion was becoming too prominent around her tennis.
One fan wrote, “FFS she’s at it again, please make her run in this year’s U.S. Open be a short one.” Another asked, “What is this, fashion week?”
The criticism also followed several previous outfits that have attracted plenty of attention during Grand Slam tournaments. Her 2025 US Open looks included ruffled dresses and matching bedazzled Labubus for different rounds.
A third fan wrote, “No disrespect, no one cares; like, girl, just go model if you want to do that.” At the Australian Open, she previously stepped onto court wearing a jellyfish-inspired outfit.
One fan also questioned whether her fashion choices matched her comments about avoiding attention.
“Naomi: ‘I don’t really like attention. It gives me huge waves of anxiety!” Osaka out here turning tennis into figure skating. I do not care for the player but love her game, though I will never be a fan because of the hypocrisy.” At Wimbledon, she wore a kimono-inspired outfit celebrating her Japanese heritage earlier this summer.
Naomi Osaka still advanced comfortably, but her latest fashion statement became impossible to separate from her opening-night story.