Naomi Osaka had not won a match at Wimbledon since 2018, but that wasn’t the only reason the Japanese player had tennis fans talking on Monday.
Osaka needed three sets to earn a 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 victory on Court 2 against Diane Perry, and she took extra inspiration from daughter Shai who’s set to turn one year old tomorrow. It was a milestone that also seemed to weigh heavy on the former world No. 1’s mind ahead of the tournament.
“Before my match I was looking at my photo album. They have that feature ‘This time last year.’ I was looking at that. I was looking at photos of myself in the hospital,” Osaka recalled in her post-match press conference.
“It’s really cool to be here now. I think my mindset last year was just trying to survive…”
Read More: ‘Relieved’ Naomi Osaka earns first win at Wimbledon since 2018 over Diane Parry
But during the match, it wasn’t just her resilient tennis that caught fans’ attention—although her 34 winners and 77 percent of first serve points won were positive signs for Osaka’s comeback. All eyes were on her latest custom kit from Nike.
Osaka famously switched from Adidas to Nike back in 2019, and she hasn’t looked back since rocking custom dresses and tennis shoes in most big tournaments. She’s also grown as a designer with the Swoosh, dropping her first capsule collection with them in 2021 featuring on and off-court looks.
