Photo credit: Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka has never treated the tennis court as a place where fashion has to take a back seat.
At the 2026 U.S. Open, the four-time Grand Slam champion is once again using her tournament appearances to blend tennis, culture and personal style. Her latest looks show that the relationship between Black tennis and fashion continues to evolve.
Osaka opened her U.S. Open campaign at Arthur Ashe Stadium with an elaborate look inspired by basketball legend Allen Iverson. She arrived in a dramatic custom ensemble featuring a voluminous white skirt and a hooded piece covered with newspaper clippings about her career.
Underneath, she revealed a black tennis outfit, complete with cornrows, a headband and arm sleeves that nodded to Iverson’s signature style.
The tribute was more than a fashion choice. Osaka has described Iverson as a trailblazer, connecting his influence on sports style with her own approach to self-expression.
Naomi Osaka Makes the Court a Runway
Osaka’s first-round entrance was not an isolated fashion moment.
Her second U.S. Open look continued the conversation. For another appearance, she wore a black sheer Jacquemus gown with embroidered details, rounded sunglasses and her tennis racket, creating a look that blurred the lines between athlete and fashion star. The outfit was styled by celebrity stylist Law Roach.
That ability to move between athletic wear, streetwear and high fashion has become part of Osaka’s identity.
Her Grand Slam wardrobe has included themed looks inspired by everything from Japanese culture to pop culture. She has previously arrived at major tournaments in outfits inspired by a jellyfish, the Eiffel Tower and traditional Japanese dress.
At the U.S. Open, however, the references feel especially connected to Black American sports culture.
Black Tennis Is Having a Fashion Moment
Osaka’s looks also arrive during a period when Black tennis players are making fashion a visible part of their athletic identities.
The tradition is not new.
Serena Williams helped change expectations around what a tennis outfit could look like, from her memorable catsuit to skirts, denim-inspired pieces and other unconventional designs. Her influence helped open the door for athletes to approach tennis fashion as another form of personal expression.
Now, players such as Osaka and Coco Gauff are carrying that conversation forward in their own ways.
The difference is that today’s players are not simply wearing interesting clothes. They are using fashion to tell stories.
For Osaka, those stories can connect tennis with basketball, Japanese culture, New York street style and her own experiences. Her U.S. Open wardrobe demonstrates how an athlete can honor an icon while still creating something distinctly personal.
Fashion and Identity Meet on Court
There is something particularly significant about seeing these expressions at the U.S. Open.
Tennis has historically been associated with polished, traditional clothing. But the modern game increasingly reflects the cultures and personalities of its players.
Osaka’s fashion choices challenge the idea that athletic uniforms have to separate sport from identity.
Her Allen Iverson tribute, for example, brought a piece of Black basketball history onto one of tennis’s biggest stages. Iverson’s influence extended far beyond the NBA, particularly through his embrace of cornrows, oversized clothing and a streetwear aesthetic at a time when professional sports had strict ideas about presentation.
Osaka understands that history.
By referencing Iverson while competing at the U.S. Open, she is connecting two sports cultures and showing how fashion can travel between them.
The U.S. Open Is Becoming a Fashion Stage
The growing attention around players’ wardrobes also reflects the changing culture of the U.S. Open.
The tournament is no longer only about what happens between the baselines. Players are arriving with carefully considered looks, designers are collaborating with athletes and fashion conversations are happening alongside match coverage.
Osaka has become one of the clearest examples of that shift.
Her outfits give fans another reason to watch the entrances, study the details and discuss what the clothes represent.
And that may be the bigger story.
Black tennis is not simply enjoying a moment in the spotlight. It is helping shape what the spotlight looks like.
At this year’s U.S. Open, Naomi Osaka is making sure fashion is part of that picture.
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Source: Vogue, PEOPLE, WTA, Los Angeles Times
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