Naomi Osaka’s U.S. Open Look Isn’t Demure — and That’s Why We Love It
One might even call it brat.
If giant brat-green bows could talk, Naomi Osaka’s might say “eff you.” Or at least “try me.”
On August 27, the tennis star took to the court during the first round of the U.S. Open — her first time at the tournament since 2022 – in what can be described as an entire look. Osaka donned a custom slime-green skirt featuring ruffles and frills and a cropped athletic jacket adorned with a massive green bow. The look was a collab between Osaka and Nike and an ode to the athlete’s Japanese heritage and the Harijuku aesthetic. “I definitely love to be involved in everything I do, whether it’s fashion or anything else,” Osaka told media of her outfit after the match. “But I feel like being able to be a part of my tennis outfits gives me, I would say, a different strength.”
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And while the outfit may have initially screamed cutesy and demure (re: the ruffles and bows), in actuality, the look is anything but twee. The choice to step out in the colour of Brat summer was likely not a coincidence, but rather a subtle sartorial statement from Osaka.
The public hasn’t always been kind to Naomi Osaka. The champion tennis player, who became the first Asian woman to be ranked number one in the world by the time she was 20, has been open throughout her career about the impact that playing tennis at this elite level has had on her, not only physically, but mentally as well. In her 2021 Netflix documentary Naomi Osaka, the tennis star was candid about the challenge of dealing with public scrutiny, saying “you have to be really mentally strong to play tennis.” As a woman of colour in a historically predominantly white space, Osaka and other players like the GOAT Serena Williams are constantly under a microscope, both on and off the court.
In 2021, Osaka’s career hit a speed bump when the athlete chose to withdraw from the French Open rather than take part in media press conferences. Initially choosing not to take part in these conferences for mental health reasons, Osaka was fined $15,000 and threatened with expulsion from the tournament; instead, she decided to withdraw. In a since-deleted tweet from the French Open openly criticized her decision, posting photos of tennis players Rafael Nadel, Kei Nishikori, Aryna Sablenka and Coco Gauff doing media, captioning it: “They understood the assignment.” It was a pretty callous response, considering Osaka has openly discussed her mental health journey, revealing that she’s “suffered long bouts of depression” since first taking home a grand slam title in 2018.
When Osaka announced she was pregnant with her first child in 2023, fascination with her life off the court went into overdrive, with fans speculating on her pregnancy, and then commenting on how choosing to become a mom at 25 was going to (negatively) affect her career. Everyone had thoughts, despite Osaka asking for none of them.
And since her return to the sport after the birth of her daughter Shai in 2023, Osaka has faced even more pressure, as she works her way back to the major tennis tournaments while the public expects her to immediately fall back into the same victorious rhythm as before. On August 13, Osaka reflected on her personal journey with tennis, sharing her thoughts with her three million followers on Instagram. In the post, Osaka opened up about her feelings on losing, writing: “My biggest issue currently isn’t losses though, my biggest issue is that I don’t feel like I’m in my body. It’s a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn’t miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to. I try and tell myself ‘it’s fine you’re doing great, just get through one and keep pushing,’ mentally it’s really draining though.” She likened the experience to being postpartum, promising that she was going to continue working hard, for herself and her daughter, but on her terms.
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As Osaka’s post indicates, the tennis star knows there are a lot of eyes on her, which is what makes her U.S. Open look so fab. As opposed to the demure quiet luxury aesthetic often embedded into the old money tenniscore trend (think: lots of white, cream and streamlined silhouettes), Osaka is refusing to blend in, instead using fashion as a way to take up space, both with colour choices and proportion. It’s revolutionary not just because of the pressure she’s under at the moment, but because of Osaka’s identity as a woman of colour in this space who may feel like she has to conform to the status quo or minimize herself in order to not stand out — and she’s doing the exact opposite.
Not to mention, by paying direct homage to her heritage and culture Osaka is celebrating that she comes from a different and unique cultural background, rather than trying to erase it. In many ways, Osaka’s brat summer tennis look acknowledges that people are going to be scrutinizing her, and says “Go ahead, look at me.” And, in opposition to the viral demure trend, which is about being modest or reserved, Osaka is clearly pushing back by doing things her own way. Now that’s worth watching.
