Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka made a striking entrance at Wimbledon, blending her country's heritage with cinematic inspiration from Kill Bill. Wearing an all‑white kimono reminiscent of Lucy Liu’s O‑Ren Ishii character, Osaka turned heads before even striking a ball.

In her 6-1, 7-5 win over French Elsa Jacquemot on Monday, June 29, Osaka wore the embroidered kimono with a wide white belt at her waist, with obi strings, on the number three court of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Tokyo-based designer Hana Yagi collaborated with Osaka to bring the look to life, ensuring it met Wimbledon's strict all‑white dress code while still showcasing cultural flair.

"The arrival of the fashion queen of Wimbledon," said the commentator, per a X video shared by Stan Sport, as Osaka made her entrance through the crowd to show off her outfit for the big occasion. Osaka later also talked about the inspiration for the kimono.

"For me, my Japanese heritage means a lot," Osaka said in her on-court interview, as shared in a video by Stan Sport on Facebook.

"They say all white at Wimbledon, and I thought it would be really cool to come out in a kimono. I just get inspired by a lot of different things, and for me, one of my favorite movies is Kill Bill. So I really love Lucy Liu’s character, O-Ren Ishii, and she comes out in this really iconic white kimono."

The nod to Liu’s iconic character added layers of meaning to Osaka’s Wimbledon entrance, showing how she merged tradition with pop culture in a way that fit the tournament’s famously strict dress code.

This Wimbledon look continues a pattern of bold fashion choices across Grand Slams.

A Pattern of Bold Grand Slam Fashion Choices by Naomi Osaka

In the 2024 US Open, Naomi Osaka stepped onto the court wearing a lime green and white outfit with bows on her waist and back of the head.

Then, at this year's first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open, she wore a sea-green jellyfish-inspired outfit, as shared by the BBC, held an umbrella in her right hand, and wore a white hat, both of which featured white butterflies. She designed this outfit in collaboration with Nike.

Furthermore, at the 2026 French Open, the four-time Grand Slam champion wore a gold sequin dress, which she described as "the Eiffel Tower when at night when it’s sparkly."

Her fashion choices across tournaments highlight how she uses style to set the tone for competition, and Wimbledon is no exception.

Osaka has qualified for the second round of Wimbledon and will play against the World No. 225 Anastasia Gasanova. Osaka, who has never gone past the Round of 32 at Wimbledon, will be looking to break the chain this time around.

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Koushik Biswas