Naomi Osaka admits to ‘nerves’ as she debuts bold new Wimbledon outfit in second-round win over Anastasia Gasanova - 'I’m just trying to mix it up'

Naomi Osaka had already wowed the crowds at Wimbledon with her Kill Bill-inspired kimono, and her second-round look did not disappoint as she debuted a Japanese obi before her win over Anastasia Gasanova.

Osaka has a history of bold outfits to walk out onto court with, with a jellyfish-inspired look opening her Grand Slam account in Australia complete with umbrella, hat and veil.

Much like in Melbourne, her opening round outfit proved the boldest here at Wimbledon too, with a full kimono seen on No. 3 court when she played Elsa Jacquemot.

On Wednesday, the Japanese star was first up on No. 2 court against Gasanova, and she caused quite the stir with the same long, ruffled skirt, but with a new embroidered jacket, which she admitted afterwards was a nod to more Japanese culture. 

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”It’s supposed to be an obi, which is part of the Japanese traditional kimono, and I just wore it with my Nike bomber jacket, which I thought was really cool, and I wasn’t able to wear that the first day, so I’m just trying to mix it up a little bit,” Osaka said in her on-court interview.

Osaka went on to win in straight sets, beating Gasanova 6-3 6-2 in just over an hour, proving that her focus on fashion has not distracted from her on-court prowess.

The 14th seed served up eight aces and 30 winners to move into the third round, where she will play Daria Kasatkina.

Once play began, Osaka opted for a more traditional white dress, albeit embroidered with flowers that appeared to be a nod to the famous cherry blossoms that so many tourists flock to Japan to see every spring.

Osaka is not the only player with a bold look on show this year at Wimbledon, with Taylor Fritz opting for a blazer and trousers combination for his first round match.

The American admitted afterwards in his press conference to some extra nerves that you cannot really lose in the first round if you show up in a special outfit, as you would ”look really stupid, honestly".

It is something Osaka agreed was also a factor.

”I saw his walkout," Osaka said. "I thought it was pretty cool. But yeah, I've talked about it before. I do feel a little bit of, like, nerves. Also, I kind of want to make myself so used to that feeling that it doesn't bother me any more.

”I think the Australian Open was me throwing myself head first into it with the umbrella and the hat and everything.

"Ever since then, I've been pretty chill about it. I think we've been a little bit tamer.”

Whether anyone else would describe a floor-length ruffled skirt as tame remains to be seen, but Wimbledon has seen plenty of interesting outfits over the years, with Maria Sharapova, Venus and Serena Williams often turning up in bespoke looks - and Osaka is carrying that mantle for the women at the moment.

So, where does she get her inspiration, with her all-white looks having to conform to Wimbledon’s strict clothing policy - which are quite different to the looks she has sported in the Australian Open and Roland-Garros.

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”I feel like my inspiration can be anything,” Osaka added.

"But I told this story before. I grew up in Florida for the most part when I was in my development years or whatever. Then I took a trip to Japan one day.

”Then, obviously, you go to Harajuku, and you see everyone expressing themselves through clothes. It was just so cool and colourful. That stuck out to me a lot.

”I kind of used that in my fashion experimentation. I don't really ever have a plan when it comes to clothes. I think it's okay to try something and fail, but I'd rather just try it and see how it goes.”

Naomi Osaka in her latest outfit

Image credit: Getty Images

Osaka’s next match - and thus, next look - will likely be on Friday, weather-dependent. She has a 3-0 head-to-head record against Kasatkina, including a three-set victory at the US Open last year. 

Given Osaka has already promised to ”mix it up every round", the fans could be in for a treat with her next outfit. 

And if she were to win, it would be the first time in her career that Osaka has made the fourth round at SW19 - something that could be worthy of an even more special look.

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