05/26/26 02:37:00
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05/26 14:36 CDT Naomi Osaka's sequined gold dress at the French Open reminds
her of the Eiffel Tower at night
Naomi Osaka's sequined gold dress at the French Open reminds her of the Eiffel
Tower at night
By ANDREW DAMPF
AP Sports Writer
PARIS (AP) --- Naomi Osaka's taste for fashion was in the spotlight again on
Tuesday at the French Open.
The tennis star walked onto Court Suzanne-Lenglen in a ceremonial black skirt
and sleeveless beaded bodice, which she removed to reveal a sequined gold
playing dress for her opening match in Paris.
"It's very couture," Osaka said of her dress after the match. "You know the
Eiffel Tower at night when it's sparkly. I kind of think I look like that a
little bit."
Osaka entered wearing the embellished bodice structured to recall armor, and a
long pleated skirt over her playing attire. She then removed the over-garments
and went on to beat German opponent Laura Siegemund 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Osaka said the playing dress was designed by Nike while the outer pieces were
from Swiss designer Kevin Germanier.
Earlier this year at the Australian Open, Osaka walked on wearing a wide-brim
hat, a veil and holding a white parasol. And at last year's U.S. Open, she had
sparkly red roses in her ponytail above her red outfit and even a matching
Labubu that she named Billie Jean Bling.
The four-time Grand Slam champion also recently wore a show-stopping outfit at
the Met Gala in New York.
So how does Osaka switch her focus from her grand entrances to playing a tennis
match minutes later?
"I'm a little used to it now," she said. "The U.S. 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," Osaka added. "Grand Slam walk-ons are the only
time that I possibly feel like I'm an entertainer."
Osaka had other concerns, though.
"I actually got a little worried, because when the sun hits the dress, it
reflects a lot. So I was a little scared that the umpire was going to kick me
off the court," she said. "So I (had) two back-up normal Nike dresses."
Earlier Tuesday on Court Philippe-Chatrier, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka wore two
necklaces featuring diamonds during her opening win.
Osaka said on Saturday that she enjoys fashion since "I don't talk a lot, so
that way I can talk through my clothes."
She added, "I am a little dramatic when it comes to my fashion sense."
___
AP Fashion Writer Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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