LONDON (AP) 鈥� Wimbledon’s strict rules about all-white clothing didn’t prevent Naomi Osaka from making another fashion statement as she walked onto the grass at the on Monday.
Osaka, who has made with her creative outfits at recent Grand Slam tournaments, wore a flowing kimono with swinging sleeves and elaborate embroidery as she walked onto No. 3 Court for her first-round match against Elsa Jacquemot.
After winning 6-1, 7-5, Osaka said she got the inspiration for the outfit from a Quentin Tarantino movie.
鈥淔or me, my Japanese heritage means a lot. They say all white at Wimbledon and I thought it would be really cool to come out in a kimono,” Osaka said in an on-court interview. “I just get inspired by a lot of different things, and for me, one of my favorite movies is 鈥楰ill Bill.’ So I really love Lucy Liu’s character, O-Ren Ishii, and she comes out in this really iconic white kimono. I always tell people I like to be like a video game character sometimes, I don’t want to be myself when I’m playing on the court. And I kind of try to embody her a little.鈥�
The Japanese player’s latest creation drew a rave reaction from the crowd, many of whom were eagerly waiting with their phones aloft to record her entrance. One female fan shouted 鈥淐’mon queen!鈥� as Osaka walked out.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something that we鈥檝e been waiting for all day, right, what Naomi Osaka is going to appear in at Wimbledon,” said Alicia Molik, the former top-10 ranked player who is doing commentary for the BBC.
Osaka kept her robe on as she bounced on her toes at the net while listening to instructions from the chair umpire. She then removed it and placed it on her chair to begin warmups before the match started.
Osaka is far from the first player to make , and wasn鈥檛 the only one to do so on Monday. Seven-time men鈥檚 champion Novak Djokovic, for instance, walked out for his match on Centre Court in a white blazer with green details.
But the four-time Grand Slam champion鈥檚 fashion creations and walk-ons are becoming an eagerly anticipated ritual at both Grand Slam tournaments and other events.
At the Australian Open this year, Osaka walked onto court . At the French Open, she in a ceremonial black skirt and sleeveless beaded bodice, which she removed to reveal a sequined gold playing dress.
And , Osaka stunned in a edgy Robert Wun white sculptural fitted dress featuring exaggerated shoulders and adorned with red feathers and a matching headpiece. To complete her look, she wore two-toned red gloves.
The latest ensemble turned plenty of heads even before she stepped onto the grass.
Playing on No. 3 Court meant Osaka had to walk through part of the Wimbledon grounds to get to the stadium, giving some fans a sneak peak of her outfit.
鈥淚 could feel, when I walked by someone, they would physically turn their whole body,鈥� Osaka said. 鈥淚 thought that was really fun.鈥�
Fellow players, meanwhile, have been full of questions about the kimono.
鈥淚 got asked if I only have one, because it鈥檚 all white, and what happens if I stain it,鈥� Osaka said.
At her post-match news conference, Osaka sported a lot more color to show off the Haitian side of her heritage. She wore a red-and-blue Haiti soccer jersey after the country played at a World Cup for the first time since 1974.
鈥淚 felt really proud of them,鈥� she said.
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AP Sports Writer Ken Maguire contributed to this report.
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