Osaka pays homage to the WTA 'GOATs of style'

Naomi Osaka stole the show on Day 3 of the Australian Open, arriving to the court in Rod Laver Arena with a parasol, a veil and a gigantic hat decorated with butterflies.

The fit, which broke the internet, was designed in collaboration with Robert Wun and modeled after a jellyfish. The butterflies were a reference to Osaka's 2021 run to the title in Melbourne, when a butterfly landed on her during her third-round match against Ons Jabeur.

Asked about the bold outfit after her match, which Osaka won in three hard-fought sets over Antonia Ruzic, the four-time Grand Slam champion said she was inspired by the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz legends that came before her.

"I grew up with the GOATs of style," she said. "Serena [Williams], Venus [Williams], [Maria] Sharapova."

The 28-year-old added another GOAT to that list -- one that might come as a surprise.

"People don't talk about her enough, but Bethanie Mattek-Sands, too," Osaka added. "She made it work with what she had."

Osaka has never been afraid to experiment and innovate with her fashion choices, and this one was months in the making. It required significant preparation and planning, and Osaka was concerned that the umbrella might not fit in the tunnel. It was a tight fit -- she said she ended up hitting a couple of the little boards on the way out -- but was otherwise executed to perfection.

"For me, obviously I really love fashion," the World No. 17 said. "That makes me excited to wake up and do the whole walk-on. It just creates a little bit more joy in that whole match preparation."

Osaka will get to make another grand entrance -- will she try to top it? -- on Thursday, when she plays World No. 41 Sorana Cirstea. They've only played once before, way back in 2015 in the first round of qualifying at Wimbledon. Cirstea, 35, won that match 2-6, 6-1, 6-4