Naomi Osaka turned her first two matches at the 2026 French Open into a runway of her own, opening with a black corset and matching pleated skirt over a gold Nike dress before switching to a second couture variation in the next round. The four-time Grand Slam champion beat Germany’s Laura Siegemund 6-3, 7-6 on Tuesday, then followed with a 7-6, 6-4 win over Donna Vekić while wearing a golden jacket and cream version of the cascading skirt.
That is why Osaka is drawing as much attention for what she wears as for how she plays. She has spent years using Grand Slam courts to debut high-fashion looks, and this Paris run is the latest example of a player who has made presentation part of the performance. Readers looking up osaka now are not just tracking scores; they are tracking the next reveal.
Osaka said fashion gives her a way to speak when she is not talking much. She said she grew up watching Serena Williams and Venus Williams make their own grand reveals, and she wants that same sense of surprise to live on in tennis. The black skirt and corset she wore Tuesday were designed with couturier Kevin Germanier to echo the shape of the Eiffel Tower, a detail that fits a player who treats clothing like a message as much as an outfit.
There was a small risk behind the glitter. Osaka said she worried the umpire might not let the sparkling dress onto the court because it could distract her opponent, and she kept two normal Nike dresses ready in case the look was rejected. She did not need them. The fashion gamble held, and so did her game, with both Siegemund and Vekić falling in straight sets.
Osaka’s Paris wardrobe is part of a larger pattern. In January at the Australian Open, she wore a dramatic Robert Wun ensemble meant to evoke jellyfish, with a blue-and-green Nike dress streaked with vertical ruffles on court. She has also worked closely with designers and her own creative team, and between the Madrid and Italian Opens she even made a quick trip across the Atlantic to attend the Met Gala in New York. That puts her in the same lineage of showmanship as Serena and Venus, but on her own terms.
For now, the most important unanswered question is whether she gets to unveil a third look. Osaka’s next outfit reveal depends on how far she advances in Paris, and after two wins in two couture sets, the French Open has already become one of the cleanest examples yet of how she can turn a match into an event.
