2 min learnUp to date: Jun 30, 2026 06:59 AM IST
Nicely earlier than Naomi Osaka had served a ball in her first spherical conflict in opposition to Elsa Jacquemot at Wimbledon, the four-time Grand Slam champion made a press release by sporting a flowing white kimono as she walked onto No. 3 Courtroom for her first-round match. The color of the gown ensured she didn’t fall afoul of Wimbledon’s strict all-white costume code that’s unyielding.
Osaka mentioned that the pristine white outfit, which had swinging sleeves and elaborate embroidery, was impressed by Quentin Tarantino’s Hollywood blockbuster Kill Invoice.
After she had defeated Jacquemot 6-1, 7-5, she defined her selection of apparel for the pre-game walkout.
“For me, my Japanese heritage means rather a lot. They are saying all white at Wimbledon and I believed it might be actually cool to come back out in a kimono,” Osaka mentioned in her on-court interview. “I simply get impressed by loads of various things, and for me, considered one of my favourite motion pictures is ‘Kill Invoice.’ So I actually love Lucy Liu’s character, O-Ren Ishii, and he or she comes out on this actually iconic white kimono. I all the time inform individuals I prefer to be like a online game character typically, I don’t need to be myself once I’m enjoying on the court docket. And I sort of attempt to embody her somewhat.”
When Osaka walked out for the sport, a feminine voice from the stands was heard shouting “C’mon queen!”
Osaka stored the gown on on the internet whereas listening to the chair umpire’s directions earlier than eradicating it and leaving it on her chair earlier than she began warming up.
Osaka revealed the reactions she obtained from followers and others earlier than she arrived at Courtroom 3 for the match.
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“I may really feel once I walked by somebody, they might bodily flip their entire physique. I believed that was actually enjoyable,” Osaka mentioned.
“I obtained requested (by gamers) if I solely have one, as a result of it’s all white, and what occurs if I stain it,” Osaka mentioned.
(With inputs from AP)