Naomi Osaka’s outfit in the opening round of the French Open attracted attention in abundance, but her opponent, Laura Siegemund, “couldn’t care less”. In a one-sided contest, the Japanese ended the German’s campaign before it even began with a one-sided 6-3, 7-6(3) win.
Apart from her resounding performance, the 28-year-old made headlines for the kit she donned at the Court Suzanne-Lenglen. Osaka arrived in the court, wearing a black skirt and a sleeveless beaded bodice. She took it off, and fans got the opportunity to behold Osaka in a sequined gold playing dress. While fans lavished praise, Siegemund in particular wasn’t impressed.
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“I couldn’t care less. I come here to play tennis, not to put on a fashion show. And if others want to put on a fashion show, then they should go ahead and do it. That’s totally fine with me,” Siegemund said in her post-match interview (via Sky Sports).
As the clip went viral on social media, Siegemund got in the firing line as Naomi Osaka’s fans launched jibes at the German. Fans pointed out her unusually slow serving pace, which is widely considered to be a delaying tactic.
“Just a nasty spirit and awful sportsmanship. Need this lady gone,” a user commented on X.
“Osaka made her dress while waiting for her serve,” a user wrote.
“Damn … yet she accomplished NEITHER and Naomi did BOTH,” another user wrote on X.
“What a racist fascist, she cannot stand the idea of letting a beautiful, strong Black woman shine!” a user remarked.
“Loses in straight sets to the fashion show girl,” a user added.
“She’s soooo jealous!! And she’s difficult to look at, unlike Naomi, who is beautiful,” a user said about the German.
“That’s why she lost in straight sets..a** on court and off court,” a user stated.
Naomi Osaka explains the secret that allows her to switch focus from grand entry to tennis
Before making her grand entry in Paris, Naomi Osaka pulled off a similar feat at the Australian Open earlier this year. The four-time Grand Slam champion wore a wide-brim hat, a veil and held a white parasol. Even at last year’s US Open, her ponytail had red roses and a matching Labubu, a viral designer art toy.
Following her win over Siegemund in the French Open, Osaka was asked how she manages to swiftly switch her focus from her dynamic entries to on-court action. While confessing that she is used to it, Osaka feels she is an entertainer when she pulls off such entries at Grand Slam events.
“I’m a little used to it now. The US Open, the roses in my hair, that’s when I started to really get into it a lot more. Obviously with Australia, that was a real conversation starter. So I don’t really feel like it’s too much of a big deal to do that and then play after. Athletes are in show business. Grand Slam walk-ons are the only time that I possibly feel like I’m an entertainer,” Naomi Osaka said.
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Edited by Pritha Ghosh
