Laura Seigemund Takes Huge Swipe at Naomi Osaka’s Fashion Looks at Roland Garros

Naomi Osaka defeated Laura Siegemund in straight sets to secure her place in the second round of the French Open.

Laura Seigemund Takes Huge Swipe at Naomi Osaka’s Fashion Looks at Roland Garros

Naomi Osaka and Laura Siegemund (via X/The Tennis Letter)

In Short
  • Laura Siegemund criticized Naomi Osaka's walkout attire, stating it was inappropriate for a serious tennis match.
  • Osaka won her first-round match against Siegemund with a score of 6-3, 7-6(2).
  • Osaka compared her outfit to the illuminated Eiffel Tower and expressed concerns about its reflective qualities during the match.

Naomi Osaka turned heads with another startling Grand Slam fashion statement on Tuesday (May 26). The former World No.1 and major tournament winner matched her dazzling outfit with a striking tennis display to dismantle unseeded German star Laura Siegemund in the first round.

At the Australian Open, five months ago, Osaka dazzled with a jellyfish-inspired outfit that caught the attention of the tennis world. She has been wearing fashionable outfits at Grand Slam tournaments since last season, which has made fans expect new attire as each major tournament draws closer.

The former Australian Open champion had revealed during her pre-match press conference that her attire for her French Open first-round match would be dazzling. She walked onto the Court Suzanne Lenglen in a sequined waistcoat blouse and a black mesh floor-length train before unveiling a layered yellow-brown-and-gold match dress.

However, Siegemund began the match intending to upset Osaka and perhaps make her dream attire look too much for a serious match, but the Japanese star quickly took control of the opening set after breaking the German in the fifth game. Osaka showed power and aggression to close it out with minimum fuss.

In the second set, Siegemund responded as expected, making sure that she didn’t give Osaka any chance to break her. Osaka won the tie 6-3, 7-6(2) to earn her place in the second round of the tournament. After the tie, Siegemund criticized Osaka’s walkout attire, stressing that it was a tennis match in a big tournament and not a fashion show:

It’s something that really doesn’t matter to me. I came here to play tennis, not to put on a fashion show. And if other players want to put on a fashion show, that’s their problem. The time Osaka took to start her match after changing her outfit? I sometimes find it a bit problematic because at every tournament, everything is timed down to the very last second, even when you’re just trying to open your bottle.

Siegemund led Osaka 2-1 in their head-to-head record before their meeting on Tuesday (May 26) at the French Open. The German star was leading 2-0 in their meetings on clay, which made it an expectedly intense clash, but it failed to live up to that. Osaka spent less than two hours on the court.

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Naomi Osaka opens up on the choice of her French Open walkout attire

Naomi Osaka is known as one of the courageous female players on tour. She has been criticized for her fashionable walkout attire in the past, but has never let it stop her from wearing a dazzling outfit at every Grand Slam tournament.

Naomi Osaka French Open
Naomi Osaka (via X/Jose Morgado)

After beating Laura Siegemund, she opened up about her striking outfit during her post-match press conference, comparing it to the illuminated Eiffel Tower at night. The 28-year-old also revealed her fears of potentially being asked to change the attire because of its reflective qualities:

Ironically, when I first saw the dress in real life, I felt like I look like the Eiffel Tower at night time, when it’s like bright. And then I actually got a little worried because when the sun hits the dress, it reflects a lot. I was a little scared that the umpire was gonna like kick me off the court. So I got like two backup normal Nike dresses. Shout out Nike. Thank god I didn’t have to wear them though. I thought the reflection of the dress was really beautiful.

Osaka will take on 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalist Donna Vekic in the next round after the Croatian star eased past local favorite Alice Tubello. Osaka leads Vekic 2-0 in their head-to-head record, but they last met at the Stuttgart Open in 2019. The Japanese star is in good form, having reached the round of 16 of the Italian Open.

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