{"id":62040,"date":"2026-09-01T10:35:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T10:35:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/62040\/"},"modified":"2026-09-01T10:35:57","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T10:35:57","slug":"naomi-osakas-us-open-look-channels-allen-iverson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/62040\/","title":{"rendered":"Naomi Osaka’s US Open look channels Allen Iverson"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Naomi Osaka channeled Allen Iverson as part of her U.S. Open debut, and the former NBA superstar liked the look<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Osaka made her usual fashionable entrance for her match against Anastasia Zakharova on Monday night in the first round. The two-time U.S. Open champion emerged from the tunnel onto the court in Arthur Ashe Stadium wearing a long, white skirt and a gray, hooded robe featuring newspaper clippings about her.<\/p>\n

She had the hood on when she entered. When she removed that to reveal her black outfit, Osaka had her hair done in cornrows under a headband, just as Iverson did when was the NBA MVP while playing for the Philadelphia 76ers.<\/p>\n

It fit with her apparel company\u2019s theme for the U.S. Open after the New York Knicks won the NBA championship in June. Aryna Sabalenka is wearing an orange dress, one of the Knicks\u2019 colors. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my, I guess, my tribute to Iverson. I really like him a lot,\u201d Osaka said following her 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3) victory. \u201cI mean, Nike said basketball, so I said, \u2018OK, you want basketball, I\u2019ll give you basketball.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

Osaka wore a shirt with Iverson\u2019s picture when she met with the media on the eve of the tournament and called him a trailblazer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s also someone that I look up to a lot, because he\u2019s kind done a lot in fashion, whether it\u2019s on purpose or not, but he\u2019s shifted the way that NBA players dress,\u201d Osaka said Saturday. \u201cI also think the whole conversation around clothes in sports and also just expressing yourself through style, I feel like he\u2019s someone that I look up to in that regard.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that they\u2019d never communicated, but Iverson posted a message to Osaka on his Instagram page Monday, writing: \u201cWow, what a honor!! BIG FAN can\u2019t wait to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

See AP\u2019s full tennis coverage here<\/a><\/p>\n