Naomi Osaka never fails to grab the attention every time she steps onto the court. The Japanese star is one of the most fashionable players on the WTA Tour and often dons unique outfits during tournaments. Take the example of the US Open last year. Osaka wore a Nike outfit that had bows all over and was inspired by Harajuku, a Japanese area. Further, at the ongoing Australian Open, Osaka was spotted wearing a custom-made outfit that was designed by her, just like the previous edition of the Australian Open. Although fans were in awe of Osaka’s outfit during her first-round match today, Aryna Sabalenka’s fans vented their frustration at Nike.

Interestingly, both Sabalenka and Osaka are sponsored by Nike and sport the brand’s apparel during tournaments. While Osaka is often seen wearing custom-made outfits, Sabalenka doesn’t have the same privilege, which irked many fans. As a result, Sabalenka’s fans took to X and slammed Nike for differentiating between Osaka and Sabalenka.

Earlier, Osaka had already shared glimpses of the outfit that she designed for the Australian Open. Posting a story on her official Instagram handle, the Japanese star wrote, “I realize not a lot of people know that I designed my Australian Open outfit for 2024. Idk why Nike let me do this but I’m excited for everyone to see the outfits to come lol.” As Osaka’s outfit went viral on X after her first-round win over Caroline Garcia, Sabalenka’s fans took to the comments section to slam Nike.

Aryna Sabalenka fans not happy over Nike’s preferential treatment of Naomi Osaka

While Osaka is a 4-time Grand Slam champion, her career has gone off-track recently. She has dropped out of the top 50 of the WTA rankings. On the other hand, Sabalenka is dominating the WTA Tour and is the World Number 1. Thus, her fans were surprised to see Sabalenka not getting any custom-made outfits for the Australian Open like Osaka. While crediting Osaka for her outfit, a fan vented his frustration at Nike, saying, “Naomi looks beautiful! Nike really hates Aryna, she always gets outfits like other girls”.

Meanwhile, Osaka’s outfit during her first-round match earlier today was designed by her itself. While Sabalenka wore a plain Nike outfit much to the disappointment of her fans, one of the fans urged Osaka to design a custom outfit for World Number 1, saying, “Need her to design for Sabalenka so bad.” On the other hand, one of the fans went to extremes to question Nike’s treatment of Sabalenka. Asking about the terms of the contract between the two, a fan wrote, “I wonder what contract Aryna Sabalenka signed with Nike because Naomi Osaka ALWAYS gets custom kits.”

Further, one of Sabalenka’s fans felt jealous that Osaka was getting attractive outfits while the Belarusian star, despite being at the top of the WTA rankings, failed to get custom-made apparel. Slamming Nike, a fan commented, “Why the hell does she get the tiger skirt and shoes but Aryna, the world #1 doesn’t.” Lastly, a fan was even left dejected by the treatment of the defending champion by Nike. Sabalenka is aiming to win back-to-back Australian Open titles but her outfit didn’t impress her fans.

As a result, a fan had a harsh take on this matter, saying, “What the f**k is wrong with you @Nike??? Why is it so difficult to do a custom kit for Sabalenka, your top player and the f**king number 1 in the world. She is defending her title in Australia ONCE AGAIN and you do jack shit for her.”

However, Sabalenka would look to get over this controversy and focus on the task at hand, that is, defending her Australian Open title. She began her campaign on a positive note and defeated Sloane Stephens in straight sets. Do you think she will be able to keep up the pace? Let us know in the comments.