Naomi Osaka's custom kit for Australian Open 2024 revealed
Naomi Osaka will take the court at the 2024 Australian Open in a custom kit designed by Nike.
Osaka spent 2023 on the sidelines, taking a break from the action owing to her maternity. After giving birth to her daughter Shai in July, the Japanese made her comeback earlier this year at the Brisbane International.
The Australian Open, where the former World No. 1 is a two-time winner, will mark her return to Slam action. At the Melbourne Major, she is set to open her campaign against 16th-seed Caroline Garcia.
Against the Frenchwoman, the four-time Grand Slam champion will be wearing a black sleeveless dress, with a white strip running across an otherwise color-blocked design. The top of the dress in front is also marked with a unique design to set it apart from others.
Nike revealed glimpses of the outfit through social media, mostly eliciting positive response from fans.
Osaka won the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, beating Petra Kvitova in the final of the former and Jennifer Brady in the final of the latter.
Naomi Osaka: "I have a much more positive mindset and a much more grateful mindset"
Speaking at her pre-tournament press conference, Naomi Osaka stated that her maternity break in 2023 made her feel different to all the other breaks she has had in the past and has made her appreciate the game again.
"I've taken a lot of breaks throughout the years. I feel like for me, I think this one was the one that finally clicked in my head. I think I realized, like, being an athlete, that time is really precious. I never, like, took that for granted before. If that makes sense. I was young and I felt like I could kind of roll back into it whenever I needed to," Naomi Osaka said.
"I guess like after having Shai, kind of going through the struggle of trying to get myself back to where I want to be, it was incredibly tough," she added.
The former World No. 1 emphasized that she has a much more positive mindset now and that she was simply happy to be back participating at the Australian Open again.
"I have, like, a much more positive mindset and a much more grateful mindset. I think overall I'm just happy to be here because I remember last year I was watching people playing Australian Open, and I couldn't participate myself," Naomi Osaka said.