Naomi Osaka is ready to focus on Wimbledon glory rather than her eye-catching outfits as the Japanese star targets her first title at the All England Club.
Osaka is in uncharted territory at Wimbledon, having reached the quarterfinals for the first time with a masterful 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) victory over world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Sunday.
The 28-year-old had never been past the Wimbledon third round until this year, but she is finally thriving on the grass courts of south-west London.
Osaka’s performance against Sabalenka was as memorable as the stunning outfits she has taken to wearing to walk on court before matches.
The four-time Grand Slam champion has been the talk of Wimbledon with her stylish kimono-inspired outfit, wedding dress-train and a robe paying homage to her Japanese heritage.
Osaka’s Wimbledon fashion shows followed the Eiffel Tower-themed outfit she wore at Roland Garros and a jellyfish-related dress at the Australian Open.
But while the soft-spoken Osaka had been happy to let the clothes distract attention from her tennis earlier in the Championships, she is planning to take a more low-key approach heading into the business end of the tournament.
“I actually really wanted to focus on the match. So that was me being very tame,” she said.
“Definitely there’s a couple things I can add, but ironically I kind of want to focus on my tennis now, so I might dial back a little bit.”
Osaka has linked up with several haute couture designers as well as Nike to create her Wimbledon outfits.
