French Open 2024: Naomi Osaka Gushes Over Maria Sharapova’s Radiant Fit That’s Filled Her Childhood With a Lot of Hope

Maria Sharapova is Naomi Osaka‘s fashion crush! After praising the Russian former tennis legend’s clay court brilliance, Osaka takes a nostalgic dig at the Russian’s “prettiest dress that Nike has ever made” showing Sharapova’s talent in both fashion and tennis. Naomi Osaka’s creative platform Hana Kuma and WTA’s Instagram Handle recently shared the Japanese US Open champion’s Serving Looks episode featuring Maria Sharapova’s iconic dress.

In this episode, Osaka shows the Russian Grand Slam champion’s French Open 2007 tour dress by Nike, which left the fans and the tennis fraternity in sheer amusement. “This dress is not my dress. It’s Maria Sharapova’s dress. When I was younger I thought this was the prettiest dress that Nike has ever made. I just remember, like, thinking maybe one day I’ll be sponsored by Nike if I was good enough, so we surpassed that goal”- said Osaka while showing that iconic outfit. This clip was captioned- “The inspiration that started it all for Naomi: Maria Sharapova, 2007 French Open. Link in bio for our newest show, Serving Looks!”

This Nike dress marked more special for Sharapova fans because she won that tournament. In fact, it was her career’s 6th Grand Slam and her 4th and final Roland Garros title. This Russian WTA star was experimenting with her looks as usual and her knack for chiffon was visible from her look. This iconic French Open 2007 dress was blue and had a black transparent chiffon cover. While Osaka clearly expressed her admiration for the dress, she further showed another high-collared pink dress asking fans, “Which one would you think is better?” 

However, from the former US Open champion’s expression it wasn’t hard for fans to guess that if it was Naomi, she would have picked the teal blue dress only. While her fans might feel surprised to see her inclination toward Sharapova’s fashion since she is a Serena Williams fan, Osaka’s comments revealed that this Japanese WTA star admired both. “Yeah, I mean, I love Serena, Sharapova, Li Na… Then I can name a lot but, I think it’s really cool because growing up, obviously, you have to have role models to believe that you can do something,”- said Osaka.

Naomi Osaka’s take on Sharapova’s iconic French Open dress from her 2007 tour showcases how fashion and tennis have always complimented each other. On the other hand, it also shows the brilliance of Sharapova, who aced her fashion game like a true queen on the court. While Osaka has surely expressed her huge fangirling over Sharapova, the Russian former tennis icon also backed up Osaka with her inspirational message.

Maria Sharapova backed up Naomi Osaka during her mental health battle

Naomi Osaka received her favorite Maria Sharapova’s advice when she refused to attend post-match press conferences during the French Open Tour 2021. While the Russian tennis legend urged Osaka to have the conversation with the reporters, she also urged people to be supportive of athlete’s mental health. “We all need to be incredibly supportive of athletes who are going through tough times in their careers,”- she said. Further, this 37-year-old former WTA star  also called Osaka “an incredible athlete and a beautiful human being.” 

Sharapova also said- “To be honest, not many people know what’s going on behind the scenes and how players feel, You only see the tennis game and what happens on the court. The more support that we can provide, the better they will be and the better that they will play,” 

Nevertheless, Naomi Osaka’s admiration for Maria Sharapova’s French Open 2007 dress has delighted her fans. Along with her love for her icon Serena Williams, fans loved Osaka’s craze for another icon like Sharapova.