Tennis champion Naomi Osaka is back in the U.S. Open for the first time in two years, and she’s off to a spectacular start. Not only did she win her first-round match against No. 10 seed Jelena Ostapenko early on Thursday, but she stepped onto the court into one of the best (and brattiest) outfits we’ve seen in the past few years.
The Nike x Ambush custom daytime uniform is designed in the color of the summer, a neon green, and Osaka has a second black option for nighttime matches. The competition uniform features a walk-on skirt and jacket, with white tulle and an oversize white bow. Osaka took off the jacket after her warm-up to reveal a ruffled green dress, still covered in multiple bows, reminiscent of Serena Williams’s history of bold court looks featuring reveals. In an interview with the New York Times, Osaka broke down her inspiration for the custom look for the tournament, which she teased earlier on Threads as “the best outfit I’ve ever worn.” She explained that the inspiration came from the frills and bows she saw in Japan, though the cultural relevance of the outfit can’t be ignored.
While the look is in tune with the style she’s continuously brought to the court, it’s mindful of our era, with subtle nods to the coquette style we’ve been seeing on the runways and streetwear, and the color choice of the year: Brat green. With her long-awaited return as an unranked player in this year’s tournament, she managed to steal audience attention for her tennis win and her runway-worthy look. My favorite touch is how each of her Nike shoes has its own little bow, which is just the perfect amount of brat.