What’s the problem with Naomi Osaka’s French Open theatrics – the backlash is out of order | Tennis | Sport

When Naomi Osaka steps onto the court for a Grand Slam match, there is arguably more focus on what she’ll be wearing than on how she will play. At least for the first few minutes.

The former world No. 1 has made a habit of using tennis’ biggest tournaments as her own personal catwalk. And despite a lot of the backlash that has come since she debuted a glittering dress at the French Open, it’s exactly what tennis needs.

How many other players would get casual fans turning on the TV first thing in the morning, before the match has even started, just to see what they will be wearing for the walk-on?

Osaka has always loved fashion and benefits from a rare Nike contract that guarantees she will receive custom kits. But she really started making sartorial statements at the US Open in 2024 in two outfits – one in black, one in neon green – adorned with bows, created by Nike and Japanese Designer Yoon Ahn.

Since then, she’s kicked things up a notch. She wore flower-inspired looks last year. At January’s Australian Open, stepped out in a giant hat, veil, and matching parasol, later revealing a jellyfish-style dress underneath. Osaka promised to deliver again in Paris, and she has.

For her first match, she donned a black corset and a matching pleated maxi skirt, then took them off to reveal a glittering gold dress. “When the sun hits the dress, it reflects a lot. So I was a little scared that the umpire was going to kick me off the court,” she later said, admitting she brought some backup dresses.

Arriving onto Court Suzanne-Lenglen at 11am on Thursday, Osaka switched things up with a shimmering gold jacket and a long beige train skirt, reminiscent of a wedding dress.

There’s an ongoing debate about how women often get shafted in the schedule here and are given the first matches in the schedule, when there are still barely any fans in the stands – that’s one for another day, but Osaka’s reputation for doing something daring when she steps onto the court meant all eyes were on her as she arrived to face Donna Vekic.

The four-time Grand Slam champion won, and then told the crowd: “I feel like there’s a community that’s been built over my on-court outfits. I just like to keep you guys guessing.” She’s not wrong. Her on-court ensembles have become such a ‘thing’ that they transcend tennis. And isn’t that what it’s all about?

Osaka attracts new eyes to the sport and brings tennis into new spaces and conversations about style and culture. It’s nothing that didn’t happen back in the day with John McEnroe and Andre Agassi – who had their own signature looks that people replicate to this day – to later on with the Williams sisters.

‘Tennis-core’ fashion has never been bigger, and yet the kits are getting more boring. Nike has virtually stopped trying with other players. Almost every woman in the draw here is wearing the same pink-and-white mesh dress. Amanda Anisimova, Mirra Andreeva, Katie Boulter, to name a few. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has a red-and-black version, but anyone can go out and buy it. Oksana Selekhmeteva wore the same dress when she lost in the first round. So somebody needs to keep tennis in the fashion spotlight.

Osaka is catering to a specific audience, and it seems the backlash is coming from those who aren’t the target. Her doubters can’t understand that there are plenty of people who do care about a lavish outfit on a clay court in Paris.

Ahead of the French Open, the 16th seed said: “I think that’s the fun part, you know. I feel like we lost that a little in tennis. I always tell people I grew up with, you know, Serena’s and Venus’s grand reveals. I literally can look at a picture and probably tell you what year that outfit came from. I know there are some kids or some people that are similar to me that hopefully feel that same way about my outfits. But, yeah, I am a little dramatic when it comes to my fashion sense.”

There are fans who feel the same about tennis fashion and on-court looks. And that’s exactly who Osaka is speaking to when she meticulously plans her outfits months, sometimes years, in advance. Those who bash her theatrics seem to forget that these people exist, too, and this sport should be trying to capture their attention.

And they don’t even have a leg to stand on, as none of this is affecting her tennis. She’s into the third round without dropping a set, maxi skirts and all.

One of the biggest arguments Osaka’s critics have made is that she has often been shy and introverted, so why attract attention with her outfits? It was here, five years ago, that she was fined for skipping a press conference, and later opened up about her mental health struggles.

The same people who condemned her for not wanting to speak and express herself are the same who are now unhappy that she is using fashion as a means of doing that. “I feel like fashion, for me, I tell people, I don’t talk a lot, so that way I can talk through my clothes. That means I can be as loud with colours patterns or fabric as I want,” Osaka said in Paris.

Shock-horror, a 28-year-old woman, who is also now a mother, is very different from a young woman in her early 20s who was grappling with being thrust into the spotlight. Can the naysayers understand that?

Naomi Osaka is an incredible tennis player with a Hall of Fame-worthy career. Naomi Osaka has built her ranking back up to the top 20 after returning from pregnancy. Naomi Osaka is a style icon who brings fresh eyes to tennis. Most importantly, Naomi Osaka really does look much happier these days. Nobody should be putting her back in her box.

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