Naomi Osaka’s outfit in her first-round French Open match has drawn plenty of attention – but left her opponent unimpressed.
Germany’s Laura Siegemund said she was “not here for a fashion show” after exiting the tournament in a straight-sets defeat to the four-time Grand Slam champion.
Osaka 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.
“I couldn’t care less,” said Siegemund in her post-match interview.
“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 bemoans stars being ‘treated differently’
World No 47 Siegemund also took issue with the amount of time Osaka was allowed to change before play started.
“I find something else problematic. In our sport, at every tournament they count every second, right up until you’ve unpacked your water bottle,” she said.
“But she can have a minute and a half to change. I have a problem with that, because these rules simply exist and they are what they are – every second is now being watched so closely for us.
“And I also think that with performances like these, every second should be accounted for. That’s the only thing regarding the rules that I don’t think is okay and where, once again, bigger names are treated differently.”
The Japanese star made quite an impression at the Australian Open earlier this year
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 US Open, she had sparkly red roses in her ponytail above her red outfit and even a matching Labubu that she named Billie Jean Bling.
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 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,” 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.”
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