Naomi Osaka made a stunning entrance on the opening day of Wimbledon 2026, wearing a floor-length ruffled gown inspired by Japanese ceremonial dress. The outfit, entirely in white to comply with Wimbledon's strict dress code, featured intricate embroidery of cranes and cherry blossoms. Osaka, 28, collaborated with Tokyo-based designer Hana Yagi to create the dress, which incorporated seven different textiles upcycled from vintage kimonos and a traditional shiromuku wedding dress. She also wore a traditional kanzashi hair ornament.
Design and Inspiration
Osaka explained that Wimbledon's emphasis on tradition inspired her to reflect on her own cultural heritage. "I think about the most iconic silhouette, which for me is a kimono. You don't have to see the colour of a kimono to know that it is a kimono," she told reporters. She also cited Lucy Liu's character in Kill Bill as an unexpected muse, noting the all-white kimono worn in the film. "I remembered absolutely falling in love with Lucy Liu's character. She has an all-white kimono, and I remember thinking that was really cool and amazing," Osaka said. "Then it just kind of went from there. It was like my interpretation of that while also paying a lot of respect and love to Japan."
Osaka approached Yagi directly rather than through Nike, her sponsor. "Wearing extravagant outfits" is a personal passion, she said. The gown featured a traditional obi belt, while underneath she wore a white Nike performance dress with 3D floral motifs inspired by Japanese kirigami paper-cutting. Yagi described the design process: "I wanted the garment to exist as the moment before performance. The walk-on surrounds Naomi in ceremony, while the Nike kit represents the athlete in competition. I thought about them as two chapters within the same story."
Reaction and Impact
Osaka's outfit prompted curiosity from fellow players and fans. She observed fans turning their whole bodies to get a better look during her walk to the court. "I thought that was really fun," she said, acknowledging that it increased the pressure not to "wear a ball gown and drop out in the first round." She told British Vogue: "I like to use fashion as a medium for storytelling. Every walk-out is an opportunity to bring people into my creative world. The fact that people care about it and are excited to see what's next is also pretty cool."
All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) chief executive Sally Bolton was asked about Osaka's daring walk-on outfits and said she was not concerned. "We're very relaxed so long as it meets the all-white dress code," she said. Osaka, the No. 14 seed, removed her long gown before facing France's Elsa Jacquemot in a Nike dress adorned with seven 3D flowers with bejewelled centres. That dress sold out within hours of being released last week.
British Players Struggle on Opening Day
The opening day was disappointing for British talent. Top players Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper were forced to withdraw due to injury. Six other British players—Mika Stojsavjlevic, Alicia Dudeney, Max Basing, Harriet Dart, Cam Norrie, Mimi Xu, and Oliver Tarvet—were all eliminated in their first-round matches.
Record Queue Numbers
By 8:30 a.m. on the first day, 10,000 people were already in the Wimbledon queue, with some fans having joined as early as Saturday morning. Bolton noted the queue's growing popularity, attributing it to more travel options. "I think back to that period post-Covid where we were somewhat nervous that the queue might die, and, ironically, the queue has become increasingly popular over that period of time," she said. "But also the way people travel and engage with things has also changed. For those of you that have queued, you will know that the time you used to have to arrive was the first tube into Southfields. But now with the availability of Lime, and other available branded bikes, people can get to the queue much more easily from slightly further away rather than waiting for the first tubes."
Queue-goers shared their experiences. Daria Wenger drove from Beckenham, south-east London, and joined the queue at 2 a.m. on Monday, sleeping in a tent with her husband and son. "The weather was kind to us – not raining, not too hot. It takes time, but it's fun. It's additional entertainment," she said. Lily and Kai Cheng flew from New York, arriving at 6 p.m. on Sunday. They consulted ChatGPT for advice and booked an Uber to arrive at 5 a.m., but found 5,000 people already ahead of them. "We're New Yorkers. We don't like standing in queues for too long, but this has been so pleasant. It's so organised," said Lily. They praised Wimbledon's fairness compared to the US Open, which they said is "about who has the most money."
Renee Sang and Joshua Sodergren came from Crystal Palace at 4 a.m. and obtained ground passes just before noon. "I feel like this is the most orderly queue. It's just very well-structured. I thought we'd be roughing it more, but there are bathrooms," said Sang. They used Reddit advice to arrive half an hour earlier than planned. Nino Bianco, 44, from Luton, left his hotel by Uber at 4 a.m. after missing out two years ago. "I just love the experience. The queue is like a ritual to get you into the mood," he said. Hannah Stuart and Rosie McGahn, both 26, arrived at 7 p.m. to camp overnight after consulting TikTok. They received number 2,200 and pitched their tent. "We got pizza and had a nice little time," said Stuart. They were woken at 5 a.m. by stewards and rejoined the queue.
Bolton, who is standing down at the end of the championships, said the club is adapting queue operations due to its popularity. "We've got amazing matches, the sun is shining – you know, all of those ingredients to make it so popular – but [the queue] is such an important part of what we do, so we'll do everything we can to protect it," she said. "People are getting there earlier and earlier because they recognise that the dynamics of travel have changed a little bit, so you do have to now get here really quite early to be at the front of the queue."
