Romanian player accuses opponent after defeat
Osaka: ‘I don’t react well to being casually disrespected’
The courtside photographer pit was already full 10 minutes before call time on Thursday night inside Margaret Court Arena. As all cameras pointed directly at the players’ entrance, it was not difficult to understand why they were there.
A day earlier, Osaka had produced one of the enduring images of the 2026 Australian Open, marching on to Rod Laver Arena in an outrageous outfit inspired by a jellyfish. This time, before her gritty, contentious 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 second-round win over Sorana Cirstea, she opted to leave the hat and veil back in her locker room.
The reaction to Osaka’s sartorial choices has been fascinating. Alongside the viral social media posts and criticisms of Osaka’s fashion instincts, members of tennis’s old guard have clutched tightly to their pearls. Boris Becker, for example, described Osaka’s outfit as “iconic” but with a caveat. “There is also a contradiction: on the one hand, she doesn’t want to be under so much pressure, she doesn’t want to be in the public eye and in the media so much – and then she comes on to centre court in an outfit like that,” he said during a TV spot for TNT Sports, where he is a pundit.
