Naomi Osaka walked out of the tunnel at Arthur Ashe Stadium wrapped in her own headlines, then closed out her first-round match against Anastasia Zakharova to reach the second round. For a moment the US Open looked less like a tennis tournament and more like a runway show.
The look was layered like a fashion editorial, built for scrutiny from the first frame. Osaka entered in a long white skirt and a grey hooded robe stitched with newspaper clippings charting her own career, custom-made by streetwear label Who Decides War and styled by Law Roach. Underneath sat an all-black playing outfit, with cornrows tucked under a headband, exactly as Allen Iverson wore them during his MVP season with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Law Roach, Who Decides War Bring NBA Tunnel Style to Tennis
Basketball tunnels have long doubled as unofficial fashion week, with players using pregame walk-throughs to debut looks that get picked apart online before the opening tip.
Osaka is dragging that entire culture into a sport that has spent over a century policing hemlines and colour palettes, and doing it on purpose. Her press conference outfit this week was in on the theme too, a throwback Iverson shirt worn two days before the match.
@usopen The headband goes hard #naomiosaka #alleniverson #usopen #tennis #sports
♬ original sound - US Open
Law Roach, the stylist behind Zendaya's award-season looks, has now applied the same red carpet precision to a tennis walk-on, treating a first-round match at Flushing Meadows with the same build-up usually reserved for a premiere.
Why Osaka Chose Allen Iverson's Iconic 2000s NBA Look
Osaka explained it herself after the win: 'Nike said basketball, so I said, "OK, you want basketball, I'll give you basketball.'" She has praised Iverson well beyond the aesthetic, calling him a trailblazer who reshaped how NBA players dress 'whether it's on purpose or not.' And she has a point.
Iverson, an 11-time All-Star who won the scoring title and league MVP in 2001, spent his career fighting the NBA's own dress code battles, wearing cornrows and baggy jeans into arenas years before the league formalised a dress code in 2005.
The Answer pic.twitter.com/cANbUZKE88
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) September 1, 2026
Osaka's 2026 season has already run through a veil and parasol in Melbourne, a corset in Paris, a Kill Bill-inspired kimono at Wimbledon, and now this. Fans are starting to show up at majors half expecting the outfit before they expect the score.
Fan Reactions and Iverson's Response to Osaka's US Open Look
Tennis fans split down the middle on this one. Some called it overdone theatre, others said it was the best thing to happen on a Grand Slam court all week, and that split is exactly what got the outfit trending within minutes of her walk-on.
Iverson settled the question of how the tribute landed on his end, posting on Instagram after the match that it was 'an honour' and that he could not wait to meet her.
— Carol Ann Leif (@carolannleif) September 1, 2026
Osaka is up against Katerina Siniakova in the second round, a player who has previously defeated her at a major tournament, including a straight-sets upset at Roland Garros. There's a score to settle on the court. Given the trends observed this year, it's likely there will be another outfit worth watching as well.
