Almost 20 years ago to the day, Serena Williams caused a ruckus at the very same tournament by wearing a denim skirt and shoes that were part tennis, part thigh-high boot.
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“She came walking out at the [2004] US Open like she’s on the Paris runway,” Wilson Smith, who designed the one-of-a-kind Nike Shox, told GQ. Unfortunately, not everyone was feeling them, so the GOAT was only allowed to warm up in them. “The tournament directors say, ‘Hey, Serena, those boots are a little over the top.’ They’re pretty conservative,” Smith said.
After kicking things off like this, Osaka’s sartorial arrangements for the rest of the Open are pretty much appointment viewing. Her next match is on Thursday against Czech competitor Karolina Muchova. Osaka entered the tournament ranked 88th in the world, as she’s still working her way back into form after missing all of last year’s Grand Slams on maternity leave. (Her first child, a daughter named Shai, was born in July 2023.) Since returning to the sport in January, she hasn’t advanced past the second round in any of the first three major tournaments on the 2024 calendar. But if her debut at this year’s US Open is any indication, both tennis and fashion-wise, she stands to make a serious mark at the season’s final major.
