At the 2026 US Open, Naomi Osaka has made the walk onto Arthur Ashe Stadium part of her fashion statement. Her references to Allen Iverson, custom pieces from designers including Who Decides War, Thom Browne and KidSuper, and her work with Law Roach show how far tennis dressing has moved beyond the traditional match uniform.
Naomi Osaka walked onto Arthur Ashe Stadium on August 31 wearing a distressed white hoodie by Who Decides War covered with newspaper clippings taken from her own career. White tulle fell behind the garment as she entered the court. Her hair was styled in cornrows beneath a black headband. Once the outer layer came off, Osaka revealed a black Nike set that she described as her tribute to Allen Iverson.
Osaka has understood the possibilities of clothing for years. She has described Iverson as a trailblazer whose influence gave athletes greater freedom in how they presented themselves, her look borrowed some of his most recognizable details without recreating one specific outfit.
The photographs covering Osaka’s hoodie belonged to her own career, however. Who Decides War designers Ev Bravado and Téla D’Amore turned the garment into something personal to the player wearing it. Instead of treating Iverson as an anonymous source of inspiration, Osaka named the person behind the reference while placing her own career across the surface of the piece.
Allen Iverson’s Influence Reaches the US Open
Iverson’s influence on the appearance of professional athletes is difficult to separate from the resistance he faced during his NBA career. His cornrows, tattoos and preference for oversized clothes challenged the expectations placed on basketball players at the time. The NBA later introduced a dress code that was widely associated with the way players such as Iverson dressed away from competition. Years later, the league itself has described his impact on basketball culture as lasting far beyond his playing career.
Osaka’s tribute therefore carries more weight than a familiar basketball reference placed onto a tennis uniform. Iverson helped establish the idea that an athlete’s appearance could belong to the athlete rather than to the institution surrounding them. What once attracted criticism has become standard practice across professional sport, where arrival outfits now generate their own coverage before a game or match has started.
Naomi Osaka in Thom Browne
Osaka changed direction for her next major entrance. Before her September 3 match against Katerina Siniakova, she appeared in a custom Thom Browne look styled by Law Roach. The sheer white outer layer had a double collar with tennis-racket embroidery. A paneled mesh skirt extended behind her before she removed the piece to reveal a silver Nike kit underneath.
Thom Browne has built much of his work around uniforms, making the collaboration particularly suited to a sport with such recognizable clothing traditions. Tennis whites have existed for generations. Osaka’s look kept the white palette but changed its proportions completely. The transparent outer layer was longer than anything required for competition, while the embroidered racquets made its connection to the tournament explicit.
For her third-round appearance, Osaka turned to Monse for an oversized hybrid of a gray suit jacket and hoodie sweatshirt layered over flowing gray fleece pants.
Basketball Appears Across the Tournament
Osaka is the most ambitious example, but basketball references have appeared elsewhere at the 2026 US Open. Carlos Alcaraz played mixed doubles in a purple mesh tank inspired by a basketball jersey. Serena Williams wore a coordinated mesh top beside him. Aryna Sabalenka appeared in black mesh over Knicks orange, while Taylor Townsend developed a collection inspired by the New York team.
The influence changes the familiar proportions of tennis clothing. Traditional polos give way to jersey-shaped tops. Mesh appears where tightly structured performance fabric might normally be expected. The reference is particularly suited to a tournament held in New York, where the Knicks remain part of the city’s sporting identity.
Naomi Osaka’s Final US Open Look
For her September 7 match against Elena Rybakina, Osaka arrived in a colorful custom KidSuper look, complete with a fur-trimmed coat and a headband echoing the NBA logo, redesigned with a tennis player holding a racket. She later described the outfit as “swaggy” and said it “embodied New York.” It became her final entrance of the tournament, which ended with a 6–1, 6–4 loss to Rybakina in the fourth round.
The Walk Onto Court Has Become Part of the Look
Professional tennis has always paid attention to clothing. Suzanne Lenglen’s shorter skirts caused a stir in the 1920s. Serena Williams spent decades challenging expectations surrounding what women could wear on court. More recently, players have become increasingly involved in collaborations designed around their individual identities rather than a single standardized sponsor kit.
Osaka fits naturally into that history, but her 2026 US Open wardrobe introduces another possibility. What she wears to compete no longer has to carry the entire fashion story. The entrance can have its own clothes.
That matters particularly at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where the player’s arrival is already part of the spectacle. Cameras follow the walk through the tunnel. The crowd sees the outfit before the warm-up begins. Photographs circulate almost immediately.
Law Roach, the super stylist behind her look, understands how much can happen during those few minutes. His work with Osaka treats the entrance with the same attention normally given to a public appearance outside sport, while the clothes remain connected to the reason she is there.
Across the tournament, Osaka’s entrances moved between basketball references, tennis codes and her own fashion history. By the time she reached her final match, the clothes had become part of the anticipation surrounding each appearance, giving the walk onto court its own place within the US Open spectacle.