Rod Laver Arena: Osaka has made a habit of donning exceptional and innovative outfits for her Grand Slam matches, and Day One of Wimbledon was no different as she made another grand entrance, this time arriving on court with a 'Kill Bill'-inspired kimono that pays homage to her Japanese culture.
Osaka’s outfit, inspired by the traditional Japanese kimono, made from upcycled materials from a traditional shiromuku wedding dress and a deconstructed wedding dress.
After that memorable fashion moment, Osaka went on to beat Elsa Jacquemot 6-1, 7-5 to advance to the second round at Wimbledon. Following her win, the world No. 14 explained that the kimono was an homage to her Japanese culture and the Quentin Tarantino-directed martial arts blockbuster "Kill Bill."
"For me, my Japanese heritage means a lot," the 14th seed said in her on-court interview. "They say all white at Wimbledon, and I thought it would be really cool to come out in a kimono. I just get inspired by a lot of different things, and for me, one of my favorite movies is "Kill 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."
In Melbourne back in January, Osaka walked onto the court in Rod Laver Arena wearing a gigantic hat decorated with butterflies, under a veil. She was also holding a parasol.
"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."
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Osaka, who has never been past the third round at Wimbledon, will look to equal her career-best result at the tournament in her next match, against World No. 225 Anastasia Gasanova. This will be their first career meeting.