Tennis legend Naomi Osaka is officially back at the US Open and is presenting herself in style.
On Tuesday, August 27, the 26-year-old returned to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City after a two-year absence wearing an outfit that couldn’t be missed – a custom collaboration between AMBUSH designer Yoon Ahn and Nike in the color of the summer, Brat Green.
Not only did Osaka look like a brazen brat, she also entered the court covered from head to toe in bows, including bows on the back of her sneakers and her bright green tennis dress.
The custom-made outfit included a detachable green and white tulle tutu and a white windbreaker that also featured—you guessed it—a bright green bow.
The outfit also included a satin bomber jacket, because it’s brat summer, people!
In an interview for a new portrait of Osaka in SnobberyOsaka’s bright green outfit is a “reference to our love for Japan and the Japanese subcultures where we both come from.”
Osaka famously withdrew from the French Open in 2021 and then retired from the competitive tennis court to prioritize her mental health and start a family. In January 2023, she announced that she was pregnant and would not compete that year. In July of the same year, she gave birth to her daughter, People was reported at the time.
Osaka returned to the US Open in 2023, but not to compete – instead, she spoke in a panel discussion with Michael Phelps (among others) about the importance of mental health in sport.
“I actually felt lonely during my pregnancy because I felt like I couldn’t do a lot of things,” she said at the time. “Usually I think, ‘If I want to be an independent woman, then I won’t ask anyone for help. If something happens, I’ll just have to accept it.’ But then I got to a point where I had to ask for help.”
In a 2020 essay for esquireOsaka also discussed her many identities outside of tennis.
“For as long as I can remember, people have struggled to define me. I’ve never really fit a description – but people are so quick to label me. Is she Japanese? American? Haitian? Black? Asian? “Well, I am all of those things at once,” she wrote at the time.
“I was born in Osaka, Japan, to a Haitian father and a Japanese mother. I spent my formative years in the United States. I am a daughter, a sister, a friend and a girlfriend,” she continued. “I am Asian, I am black and I am a woman. I am as normal a 22-year-old as any other, except I happen to be good at tennis. I have accepted myself as just me: Naomi Osaka.”
Naomi Osaka celebrates winning a point against Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia during their women’s singles first-round match on day two of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on August 27, 2024
(Image credit: Getty Images)
In an interview with the New York TimesOsaka spoke about the type of fashion she has seen and gave additional insight into her return outfit and her tribute to her country.
“I remember one of my first times in Japan, I saw so many ruffles and bows,” Osaka told the magazine. “I wouldn’t automatically describe myself as girly on the court, but I tend to be attracted to really pretty and cute things. I think it’s pretty cool to highlight that.”
