"The most beautiful tennis shoes ever" - Naomi Osaka lights up about her dragon and flowers-themed custom Nike sneakers at French Open 2024
Naomi Osaka booked her spot in the second round of the 2024 French Open on Sunday, overcoming Lucia Bronzetti in a tense three-setter. Afterwards, the former World No. 1 took the time to let fans know about her custom Nike sneakers at the tournament.
Osaka took the opening set rather comfortably against the Italian, winning 6-1. However, in a stunning turn of events, Bronzetti broke in the Japanese's final service game to snatch the second set 6-4. With all to play for in the decider, the Japanese started strong and raced to a 4-0 lead.
From there, it was a shocking turning of the tide, as Bronzetti won five games in a row to take a 5-4 lead. Thankfully, Naomi Osaka held strong, equaling for 5-5 before breaking decisively to lock up the set 7-5.
At her on-court interview after the match, Osaka was asked by former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli about her shoes. Designed specially for the four-time Grand Slam champion by Nike, the sneakers had a dragon and flowers theme, and came in different colors -- one red and one blue.
Osaka lit up as she spoke about them, calling them the "most beautiful tennis shoes ever" and expressing her belief that the unique design gave her a lot of strength.
"The most beautiful tennis shoes ever. They have dragons and flowers on them, and they are two different colors and I feel like it gives me a lot of strength, which is a really good thing," Osaka said.
Naomi Osaka could face Iga Swiatek in French Open second round
Following her victory against Lucia Bronzetti, Naomi Osaka could face World No. 1 and two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek in the second round of the 2024 French Open. The Pole takes on qualifier Leolia Jeanjean in the opening round on Monday.
Swiatek comes into Roland Garros having won two WTA 1000 tournaments back-to-back - the Madrid Open and the Italian Open. She will look to win her fourth title in Paris this fortnight, having won the 2020 edition for her maiden Grand Slam title.
The head-to-head between Swiatek and Osaka is tied at 1-1, with the 22-year-old having won their last meeting at the 2022 Miami Open. Before that, they faced off in 2019, at the Canadian Open. If they meet at the French Open this year, it will be their first encounter on clay.