Naomi Osaka’s Jellyfish-Inspired Outfit Steals the Spotlight at Australian Open

When measured against the lightning-fast sting of a jellyfish — capable of traveling 10 to 20 micrometers in less than a millionth of a second — Naomi Osaka’s blistering 125 mph serve may seem almost leisurely. Yet, when the four-time Grand Slam champion stepped onto Rod Laver Arena dressed in a jellyfish-inspired ensemble for her Australian Open first-round match against Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic, speed was only part of the symbolism.

The 28-year-old tennis star made a dramatic entrance, carrying a parasol and wearing a wide-brimmed hat draped with a delicate white veil. Her look featured a pleated mini-skirt layered over flowing wide-leg pants, blending athletic functionality with couture-level design.

The on-court outfit, rendered in soft aquatic blues and greens, featured fine frills and translucent textures across the dress and warm-up jacket, evoking the graceful movement of jellyfish tentacles beneath the sea. The visual effect was ethereal, instantly setting her apart on one of tennis’s biggest stages.

Osaka later revealed that the inspiration for the ensemble came from an intimate and unexpected place — reading bedtime stories to her two-year-old daughter, Shai.

“The way I see expression now has been shaped by reading to my daughter,” Osaka told Vogue ahead of the match, which she eventually won 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. “Finding beauty in unexpected places, like the underwater world, and working with artists who care deeply about meaning has changed how I approach everything.”

The outfit was the result of a creative collaboration between Nike, Osaka, her longtime stylist and creative partner Marty Harper, and London-based designer Robert Wun — a rising force in high fashion whose previous clientele includes Beyoncé, Cardi B, and Ariana Grande.

Wun, a self-professed tennis enthusiast, has long admired Osaka. One of his Fall 2024 collection looks was directly inspired by a moment involving her at the 2021 Australian Open.

“A butterfly landed on her face mid-match against Ons Jabeur,” Wun recalled in an interview with Vogue. “It was a simple, beautiful scene that went viral as she gently placed it aside. I wanted to revisit that story and weave it into this collaboration.”

That moment lives on in the design through subtle butterfly motifs placed atop the parasol and hat, blending memory, symbolism, and performance into a single visual narrative.

Tennis, of course, has a long and rich relationship with fashion. From Suzanne Lenglen’s revolutionary hemlines in the early 20th century to Serena Williams’ iconic Virgil Abloh x Nike tutu dress at the 2018 US Open, style has often played a defining role on the court.

Anne White’s controversial white catsuit at Wimbledon in 1985, which led to warnings from tournament officials, remains another enduring example of how fashion and tennis have occasionally clashed — and collided.

In recent years, tennis has increasingly embraced its runway-like moments. Jannik Sinner’s Gucci GG-monogrammed duffel bag walk at Wimbledon reinforced the idea that the journey from changing room to court has become a fashion statement in itself.

Much like the NBA’s famed tunnel fashion or the Premier League’s bus-to-dressing-room arrivals, tennis tournaments now offer players a stage to express personal style before the first serve is even struck.

Osaka is acutely aware of that legacy. “When I look back at the players who came before me, those looks have become memories that live forever,” she said. “Our stories are often written by others. This felt like a moment where I could write a little bit of my own.”

According to Vogue, haute couture has rarely — if ever — been worn in such a deliberate and symbolic way during a live professional sporting event, making Osaka’s appearance a genuine first.

While Osaka has experimented with fashion before — including playful appearances featuring bedazzled Labubu doll keychains — this moment marked her most ambitious style statement to date.

“Fashion opened up for me when I stopped worrying about how it would be received and focused on how it made me feel,” she explained. “I realised that style doesn’t need to be loud to be powerful. It can be quiet, sentimental, and layered.”

The jellyfish itself emerged as a quiet co-star of the moment. In 2024, the marine creature inspired trends across lighting, couture, hairstyles, and makeup, captivating designers with its otherworldly silhouette.

During the height of the so-called “jellyfish trend,” science writer Juli Berwald, author of Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone, described their appeal succinctly: “Anyone with a sense of aesthetics would have to pause and say, ‘Wow, what is that?’”

From a sporting psychology perspective, the jellyfish’s fluid movement, quiet elegance, and hidden sting offer an apt metaphor for a tennis champion — graceful on the surface, lethal when it matters most.