New York (AFP) – Naomi Osaka stole the show at the US Open when she appeared on court sporting a giant, bright green bow on the back of her jacket before peeling off an equally colourful tutu. The Japanese star’s outfit drew immediate comparisons with fellow Grand Slam queen Serena Williams, who also backed up her brash choice of clothes with an equally confident game on court.
AFP Sport looks at seven outfits which have hit the headlines down the years:
**Catsuit No.1**
2002 US Open – A 20-year-old Serena Williams took to the court in a striking thigh-length black lycra catsuit which kept the headline writers busy. Britain’s Daily Mail described the outfit as adhering to her “like clingfilm, emphasizing every astonishing body contour”.
**Denim dreams of Jimmy Dean**
2004 US Open – Serena made the quarter-finals in New York in 2004, but if her tennis failed to shine by her standards, she was again making a splash in fashion. This time, she opted for a denim mini-skirt, knee-high black boots, and a studded black blouse. “It’s inspired by James Dean,” she explained to many blank faces, referencing the doomed 1950s Hollywood icon.
**Tiger (well, leopard actually) burning bright**
2007 US Open – Never one to shy away from a fashion challenge, Bethanie Mattek-Sands often rivalled Serena in colourful court appearances. In New York in 2007, the American went for a leopard-print top and shorts with matching visor. “I like to be funky,” said Mattek-Sands, who can also boast once appearing at Wimbledon dressed in all-white soccer-style gear and at another US Open in a cowboy hat.
**Corset for concern?**
2010 French Open – Not to be outdone by her younger sister, Venus Williams played at Roland Garros in a black and red, corset-style outfit with flesh-coloured underwear. It drew immediate comparisons to Paris’s Moulin Rouge, with the American insisting she was trying to “create an illusion”.
**New jacket required**
2011 Wimbledon – Mattek-Sands arrived at the All England Club wearing a jacket with white tennis balls attached to the sleeves, a choice which contributed to her being dubbed ‘The Lady Gaga of tennis’.
**Catsuit No.2**
French Open 2018 – Serena Williams played at Roland Garros in an all-black catsuit. “I feel like a warrior princess from Wakanda, maybe,” she told reporters, in reference to the “Black Panther” movie. However, French Open officials took a dim view and banned similar outfits from future tournaments. “One must respect the game and the place,” said French tennis chief Bernard Giudicelli.
**Green day**
2024 US Open – Naomi Osaka turned heads at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday when she took the court in a layered outfit featuring a bright green skirt with a stiff tulle petticoat and a jacket bedecked with a bright green bow. She doffed both to reveal a tiered green tennis dress, with a white bow on the back waist, bows on both shoes complementing the effect. “It’s based on Japanese and Harajuku culture,” Osaka said of the ensemble designed by Yoon Ahn with a nod to the Tokyo district famed for its street art and fashion. However, she added: “When I was putting on my outfit today, I was, like, ‘Ah, I hope this isn’t too much’. Because I had the tutu and then I had the bow jacket and it was green, I feel like everyone was staring at me funny.”
© 2024 AFP
