Naomi Osaka’s Grand Entrance in Jellyfish-Inspired Outfit at Australian Open Leaves Tim Henman Completely Awestruck: “I’m Speechless”

The inspiration for her viral outfit came to Naomi Osaka when she was reading a book to her daughter, Shai.

Naomi Osaka’s Grand Entrance in Jellyfish-Inspired Outfit at Australian Open Leaves Tim Henman Completely Awestruck: “I’m Speechless”

Naomi Osaka's entry at the Australian Open left Tim Henman in awe (Image via X/Sky Sports, TNT Sports)

Naomi Osaka doesn’t fail to surprise, even though what she is doing on the court has not been the same compared to the time when she was winning Grand Slam titles one after the other. After censuring the “uncultured” critics for commenting on her rumored Australian Open outfit, Osaka only turned heads when she walked onto the Rod Laver Arena for her first-round match on Tuesday (January 20).

Tim Henman‘s reaction was no different from those watching Osaka holding a white umbrella in her iconic walk-on turquoise outfit, inspired by jellyfish. It had wide-legged trousers over which she wore a pleated skirt. Her white, wide-brimmed hat featured a veil over which sat a white butterfly.

I’m not qualified to comment… Wow, I am speechless.

Tim Henman said on TNT Sports

Here’s the video:

The outfit was designed by couturier Robert Wun, who is a huge tennis fan, and the butterfly moment during Osaka’s match inspired him greatly. During the 2021 Australian Open, a butterfly landed on Osaka’s face, and later she went on to win the tournament.

Osaka later said at the press conference that she would not have minded much had she lost her first-round match. She was up against Antonia Ruzic, who took the second set off the 16th seed but eventually lost with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 scoreline.

The four-time Grand Slam champion will next be locking horns with Sorana Cirstea, who knocked out Eva Lys in three sets. The Romanian ace holds a 1-0 head-to-head lead following their match in the first qualifier at the 2015 Wimbledon.

Osaka has yet to win a title since that 2021 Australian Open. She, however, has made three finals since that win, including at the ASB Classic and the Canadian Open last year. In Auckland, an injury forced her to give the walkover to Clara Tauson, while in Montreal, she suffered a three-set defeat at the hands of home favorite Victoria Mboko.

Aryna Sabalenka comments on Naomi Osaka’s Australian Open outfit

Aryna Sabalenka, who is chasing her third title at Melbourne Park, designed her Australian Open outfit, inspired by Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Following her straight-set win over Zhuoxuan Bai in the second round, she was asked about Naomi Osaka‘s spectacular entry.

Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka (Image via X/Sky Sports)

You know, that’s really beautiful about fashion that you can express yourself in any way, and it’s pretty free world. There is no judgment. There is just… like one people see fashion in one way, other people see fashion in other way. That’s why it’s so beautiful that you can feel free and go and show yourself, show your personality, and I think yesterday it was a perfect fit of her personality, her culture, a lot of things.

Aryna Sabalenka said at the press conference

Osaka is a two-time Australian Open champion. She beat Petra Kvitova in 2019 and Jennifer Brady in 2021.

Sabalenka lifted the first Major of the season for the first time in 2023 by defeating Elena Rybakina. The following year, she defended her crown against Qinwen Zheng but failed to complete the three-peat due to a defeat to Madison Keys in the final last year.

Sabalenka has already added one title to her trophy cabinet this year. She defended her Brisbane International crown by going past Marta Kostyuk. In the first round, the first seed went past Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah.

The Belarusian will next be meeting Anastasia Potapova. Last year, Sabalenka finished the season with four titles from nine finals, including her second consecutive US Open title by defeating home favorite Amanda Anisimova.

Also read: Jannik Sinner Makes Awkward Admission on Playing Doubles with Nick Kyrgios