Style icon Naomi Osaka sent the tennis world into meltdown during her sensational entrance to Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday.
Osaka advanced to the second round of the Australian Open after claiming a 6-3 3-6 6-4 victory against Antonia Ruzic at the Australian Open.
The Japanese tennis star turned heads as she entered Rod Laver Arena wearing a long turquoise ‘jellyfish’-inspired tunic, complete with a white pair of crimped trousers.
Osaka also wore a white broad-brimmed hat, which had a large white butterfly attached to its top. She later added that the butterfly was a nod to the iconic photo of her and a butterfly that was taken when she won the Australian Open in 2021.
She also carried a white parasol, that featured a transparent white veil that trailed behind her.
It was a picture of elegance, with the crowd inside Rod Laver Arena cheering wildly for the four-time Grand Slam champion, who has revealed that the outfit was inspired by a children’s storybook.
Style icon Naomi Osakahas sent the tennis world into meltdown following her sensational entrance for her first round match against Antonia Ruzic at the Australian Openon Tuesday
The Japanese tennis star turned heads as she entered Rod Laver Arena wearing a long turquoise ‘jellyfish’-inspired tunic
Osaka also wore a white broad-brimmed hat, which had a large white butterfly attached to its top
The 28-year-old revealed to Vogue that she had been reading a story to her two-year-old daughter, Shai, when she happened upon the idea for the elegant, flowing fit.
The book had featured an image of a jellyfish, with Osaka telling Vogue: ‘When I showed it to her [Shai], she got so excited.’
The outfit was designed by Robert Wun, a Hong Kong-born, London-based fashion designer, who has made pieces for Ariana Grande, Beyonce and Cardi B.
‘It translated beautifully into the movement and fluidity of the sheer layers on the dress and the jacket,’ Osaka said to the outlet.
She couldn’t have been more correct. After removing her hat and carefully placing it on top of her chair, the world No 17 began to put on a turquoise training jacket that matched her ‘jellyfish’ tunic.
Designed in collaboration with her apparel partner Nike, the jacket featured an ocean colourway that had little threads of green fabric appearing to dangle from it.
‘Nike let me design this one and it’s modelled after a jellyfish,’ Osaka said after her match. ‘It’s really beautiful and shout out Robert Wun for doing this for me.’
As she warmed up, Osaka appeared to gracefully flow around the court, sweeping away ground strokes, much to the delight of both the fans and pundits inside the 15,000-capacity stadium.
‘Wow,’ Tim Henman told TNT Sports. ‘This is quality.’
The 28-year-old revealed to Voguethat she had been reading a story to her two-year-old daughter, Shai, when she happened upon the idea for the elegant, flowing fit
After removing her hat and carefully placing it on top of her chair, the world No 17 began to put on a turquoise jacket that matched her ‘jellyfish’ tunic
It was a picture of elegance, with the crowd inside Rod Laver Arena cheering wildly for the four-time Grand Slam champio
TNT Sports pundit Laura Robson, was also left speechless.
‘Wow,’ the former British star said. ‘I’ve never seen anything quite like it. That is the ultimate walk on isn’t it?
‘The hat is kind of like a Beyonce Formation moment.’
It’s not the first time Osaka has left fans marvelling over her eye-catching style choices. She turned heads at the US Open last year, warming up in a lime-green outfit that had featured a silk bow on her back, twinned with a green, tiered skirt.
The two-time Australian Open winner paired the outfit with green and white Nike trainers that had a green bow pinned to the heel.
At Roland Garros last year, Osaka donned a bright pink dress and had placed her hair into two buns that featured ‘flower’ hair ties.
On Tuesday, Roland Garros’ official X account commented on a viral video of the Japanese star: ‘Osaka’s outfits never miss.’
Speaking to Vogue, Osaka, who won here in 2019 and 2021, stated that she wanted to use the opportunity to emulate tennis stars of years gone by and make a statement.
Osaka, who comes into the tournament as the No 16 seed, got off to a great start in the match, claiming the first set
Ruzic (pictured) fought back to claim the second set 6-3, but would ultimately suffer defeat by Osaka
Osaka turned heads at the US Open last year, notably warming up in a lime-green outfit that had featured a silk bow on her back. She had also donned a green, tiered skirt
At the French Open, the Japanese star had also donned a bright pink outfit complete with flower hair ties
‘When I look back at the players who came before me, I think about how those moments—those looks—have become memories that live forever,’ she told Vogue.
‘So much of the time, other people get to write our stories for us. This felt like a moment where I could write a little bit of my own.’
Osaka has struggled to rekindle her form of old since the Japanese star took a hiatus from the sport in 2023 while she was pregnant.
She has won once on the WTA Tour since then, notably winning WTA125 in Saint Malo in April of last year, having also reached the finals of the Auckland Classic, and WTA1000 in Montreal.
Osaka found a vein of form at the end of 2025, reaching the semi-finals of the US Open, besting Daria Kasatkina, Coco Gauff, Karolina Muchova before being knocked out by Amanda Anisimova.
She comes into the Australian Open as the No 16 seed and started brightly against her Croatian opponent, breaking Ruzic in the eighth game to go 6-3 up in the first set.
Ruzic fought back, saving a late break point in the ninth game of the second set to level the match at one set apiece.
Bizarrely, the match was halted for around 10 minutes after a red light on the net posts would not turn off.
The light flashes red when a ball lands out of play but the players were left awkwardly waiting around as the light would not turn off.
Despite the bizarre hiatus, Osaka bounced back to win the final set 6-4.
‘I think I served pretty well and she’s an amazing player,’ Osaka said.
‘I’ve never played her before but I hope to not see her on the other side of the net, but if I do I’m pretty sure were going to keep playing some pretty good matches.’
