Sawt Falasteen - Fashion forward: Osaka targets Wimbledon glory

Osaka is in uncharted territory at Wimbledon, having reached the quarter-finals for the first time with a masterful 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) victory over world number one Aryna Sabalenka on Sunday.

The 28-year-old had never been past the Wimbledon third round until this year, but she is finally thriving on the grass-courts of south-west London.

Osaka's performance against Sabalenka was as memorable as the stunning outfits she has taken to wearing to walk on court before matches.

The four-time Grand Slam champion has been the talk of Wimbledon with her stylish kimono-inspired outfit, wedding dress-train and a robe paying homage to her Japanese heritage.

Osaka's Wimbledon fashion shows followed the Eiffel Tower-themed outfit she wore at the French Open and a jellyfish-related dress at the Australian Open.

But while the soft-spoken Osaka had been happy to let the clothes distract attention from her tennis earlier in the Championships, she is planning to take a more low key approach heading into the business end of the tournament.

"I actually really wanted to focus on the match. So that was me being very tame," she said.

"Definitely there's a couple things I can add, but ironically I kind of want to focus on my tennis now, so I might dial back a little bit."

Osaka has linked up with several haute couture designers as well as Nike to create her Wimbledon outfits.

The costumes have drawn inspiration from Osaka's love of anime cartoons, the Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill and Japanese culture.

"I don't have that much variation this time around. Like, I hate to say it, but the French Open, the designer was based in France, so he was kind of like sewing things immediately after I won," she said.

"Obviously with the kimono, we had to get it from Japan. It's not like she can make a brand-new thing every time.

"I have different ways to mix and match it. But my favourite one is the one I've worn two times in a row now. It's like the free-robe vibe.

"If you watch anime, there's this anime called Bleach. It's one of my favourites. I don't want to bore you. But anyways, I feel like I'm channelling a character from that whenever I wear the kimono in that way."

- 'I felt really ashamed' -

Osaka will gladly shelve the fashion talk to concentrate on Wimbledon, starting with her quarter-final against Czech 10th seed Karolina Muchova.

"I'm actually quite good at shutting out outside noise. Obviously, like, everyone around me knows how well I can play. For me, that's the most important thing, is just me building confidence in myself," she said.

It is five years since Osaka won her most recent Grand Slam title in Australia.

She spoken candidly about the stress that comes with elite sport after dealing with bouts of depression since winning her first Grand Slam in 2018.

Osaka stepped away from tennis in 2021 to prioritise her mental health and took 15 months off after the birth of her daughter Shai before returning in 2023.

In a much happier state of mind now, Osaka credits a meltdown after a loss to Iga Swiatek in Rome in May as the turning point in her renaissance.

"It wasn't the most professional thing to do. Like, I didn't talk to my team. I felt really ashamed about what I did," the 14th seed said.

"So then after that I just told myself, like, hey, I'm nearing 30, I really got to enjoy the time that I have.

"Also, obviously tennis is very, very important to me, but I have a life outside of that. I have to treasure tennis in the way that I can, which is not putting too much importance on it."

I.Yassin--SF-PST