Naomi Osaka reveals what inspired her kimono before first-round Wimbledon win

Naomi Osaka wore a jaw-dropping white number to walk onto Court 3 for her first-round match at Wimbledon on Monday.

The four-time Grand Slam champion donned an all-white, full-length kimono as she stepped onto the court before her 6-1, 7-5 win over Elsa Jacquemot.

Osaka, 28, has long been known for her creative fashion choices for her matches. This time, Osaka said, she was inspired by her Japanese heritage and Lucy Liu’s character in “Kill Bill,” one of her favorite movies.

Naomi Osaka of Japan on the court in her Japanese inspired ceremonial dress designed with designer Hana Yagi for her match against Elsa Jacquemot of France on day one at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“When I think about that, I think about my cultures, my heritage, which is Japanese and Haitian,” Osaka shared in her post-match press conference. “Then if I dive deeper into Japanese culture, I think about the most iconic silhouette, which for me is a kimono. You don’t have to see the color of a kimono to know that it is a kimono.

“[Lucy Liu’s character] has an all-white kimono, and I remember thinking that was really cool and amazing.”

Wimbledon’s strict all-white dress code didn’t hinder Osaka’s outfit choice.

“I’ve never thought of the color white as restrictive…there’s so many different patterns, fabrics, textures that you can use. So I’ve never even thought of it as something that restricts me,” Osaka added.

Japan’s Naomi Osaka warms up ahead of her women’s singles first round tennis match on the first day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships AFP via Getty Images

The dress code at Wimbledon is highly specific, measuring even the smallest details of color down to the centimeter. Women were only recently allowed to don non-white undershorts at the All England Club.

It’s not the first time Osaka has made a fashion statement at a major.

At the French Open in May, Osaka wore several cascading overskirts, which changed for each match she played and resembled the Eiffel Tower. She paired the skirts with corsets worn over shimmery tennis dresses by Nike.

At the Australian Open in January, she chose a jellyfish-inspired look that included a wide-brimmed hat with a long veil and a parasol to match.

Osaka will face Anastasia Gasanova on Wednesday morning on Court 2 in the second round.