Naomi Osaka made a highly-anticipated comeback to the U.S. Open this week, showcasing a series of eye-catching outfits that paid homage to her Japanese roots. While her journey in the tournament ended sooner than expected with a second-round exit, Osaka took to Instagram to share a raw and emotional post expressing her pride in her performance. Despite the disappointment, she revealed that she couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment and self-assurance.
“Honestly I had typed out a whole caption about how I’m disappointed with myself etc but I’ve been sitting here playing with my daughter and I realized that I couldn’t be more proud of myself,” Osaka captioned her post on Saturday, three days after she lost to Czech opponent Karolína Muchová. “I gave birth to such an amazing human and I played the U.S. Open? A win is a win. Sure it didn’t work out this time but I have faith it will eventually. Thank you NY 🖤 see you next time.”
Osaka’s social media post showcased her custom Nike ensemble, a collaborative creation with Ambush designer Yoon Ahn. The intricate outfit featured a sleek black bomber jacket adorned with a prominent white box on the back, complemented by a detachable black tutu skirt accented with white tulle. Beneath the layers, the tennis star sported a stylish black tennis dress, complete with a flouncy skirt and oversized white bow. To top off her edgy look, Osaka donned a pair of black Nike sneakers embellished with matching white bows.
In pre-tournament photos, Osaka had posed in a walk-on skirt with a tulle petticoat and a high-shine black bomber jacket with an oversized white bow. Designed by Yoon Ahn, she wore a lighter, lime version (reminiscent of a tennis ball) in her entrance for her first round against Jeļena Ostapenko. Despite removing the jacket to win the match, she still had bows on her green tiered skirt and sneakers.
Osaka made her return in January after giving birth to her first child with boyfriend Cordae last summer. The four-time Grand Slam champion has struggled to regain her previous form and confessed on Instagram that she feels disconnected from the game and herself. She compared the feeling to being postpartum, saying tennis now feels like a new challenge despite playing since she was three. Retraining her body has been mentally tough, but her daughter motivates her to keep pushing forward.
“I want to teach my daughter that she can achieve so many things with hard work and perseverance. I want her to aim for the stars and never think her dreams are too big, Nothing in life is promised but I realized I can promise myself to work as hard as I can and give it my best shot till the very end,” Osaka concluded her earlier post.
