Naomi Osaka Stuns at 2024 US Open in ‘Lolita’-Inspired Nike x Ambush Outfit, Defeats Jelena Ostapenko

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Naomi Osaka was in stunning form at the 2024 US Open tennis tournament, showing off her court form during her first-round match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on Tuesday. The four-time Grand Slam champion advanced to the second round of the tournament, defeating 10th seed Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia.

Osaka’s tennis gear was designed in collaboration between Nike and designer Yoon Ahn, Ambush’s creative director. The outfit features two variations — when she entered Louis Armstrong Stadium, Osaka wore a green and white look, featuring a flowing green skirt with white tulle, a white Nike jacket with an embossed black logo near her left shoulder, green wristbands, a matching green visor, and Beats headphones with white lace trim and a green ribbon.

As Osaka turned around, the back of her Nike jacket revealed a dramatic, large green bow. During warmups for her first-round match, Osaka removed her green and white tulle skirt, revealing a skirt attached to her tennis dress in the same green with three tiers of pleats.

The Nike x Ambush sleeveless tennis dress features subtle pleats near the sleeves. A white ribbon is also featured at the waist for a statement look. The finishing touch to her outfit is Osaka’s custom Nike sneakers in green and white, which also feature a small green ribbon at the back.

Osaka’s look was partly inspired by “Lolita” fashion, designer Yoon Ahn said on Instagram, which harkens back to “the innocence and beauty of childhood.”

“We’re both from Japan,” Ahn told WWD of his collaboration with Osaka. “So we wanted to celebrate and connect with a certain subcultural style that was born out of Japan.”

Since rising to fame after winning her first Grand Slam at the US Open in 2018, Osaka, who represents Japan, has expanded her reach beyond tennis. The accomplished athlete’s interest in fashion has led her to collaborate with Louis Vuitton, Levi Strauss & Co., Tag Heuer and a partnership with Nike, which has been Osaka’s apparel sponsor since 2019.

The 2024 US Open marks Osaka’s return to the tournament since giving birth to her daughter, Shai. It also marks a new chapter in the 26-year-old’s life.

“I don’t think I ever really stopped practicing, or trying to practice,” Osaka told WWD, referring to her pregnancy. “My body was so used to it, so it was weird not doing it. It’s funny,” she said, adding, “because after I gave birth, the nurse told me to call her to the bathroom. And I told her I was pretty sure I could walk on my own. And then I had to show her that I could walk.”

As for Osaka’s 2024 US Open campaign, the athlete told WWD that, despite the outside intrigue, she feels completely “at peace.” Osaka will play her second-round match against Karolína Muchová of the Czech Republic on Thursday.

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