"I come here to play tennis, not to do a fashion show” Laura Siegemund addresses questions over Osaka’s outfit change prior to French Open match

Laura Siegemund was not particularly satisfied with the press comments about her rival Naomi Osaka’s outfit after her first-round defeat at Roland Garros. The German lost in straight sets in a tough battle against the 4-time Grand Slam champion.

It has already become common that Osaka’s Grand Slam appearances serve as an opportunity for the Japanese player to showcase provocative outfits that break away from the traditional and generate conversation in the tennis world, from one of the players most committed to the fashion world.

This time Osaka stepped onto the court in an all-black look from the fashion label Germanier, which included a tennis skirt, jacket, and dress. Moments before starting the match, she removed the clothes she had arrived with at Suzanne Lenglen and revealed a sparkling yellow-brown and gold Nike dress that became a topic of conversation on social media and on broadcasting panels.

The Japanese player not only made a fashion statement, once again dazzling with a bold outfit on court, but also took a solid on-court victory, defeating Siegemund (No. 47) in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(3), securing her place in the second round.

Osaka won a two-set battle in which she came back from a break down in the second set, even saving a set point from defeat to stay alive. The 28-year-old delivered an impeccable tie-break with strong serving, showing confidence in the decisive moments to close out the win 6-3, 7-6(3).

At the end of the match, her rival Siegemund starred in a peculiar moment in an interview with Eurosport Germany, when she was asked about the moment Osaka revealed her outfit, something that did not leave the veteran, 38 years old, pleased. “It’s completely irrelevant to me,” she said seriously in German. “I come here to play tennis, not to do a fashion show. And if others want to do a fashion show, then that’s fine by me.”

However, Siegemund did not consider appropriate the time Osaka took to switch from the outfit she entered the court in to being ready to start the match, considering that there are usually stricter requirements regarding respecting match start timings. “I sometimes find it a bit problematic because at every tournament, everything is timed down to the very last second, even when you’re just trying to unpack your bottle.”

The German bid farewell to Roland Garros for now, although her participation was enough to move up a few positions in the rankings. Siegemund is positioned as No. 43 in the live rankings at the moment, although it remains to be seen what will happen in the coming days at the French Open.

Meanwhile Osaka awaits her second-round clash on Thursday against Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic, who two years ago reached the final in Paris 2024, precisely on the courts of Roland Garros. Osaka will surely have prepared another outfit that will generate discussion, in what will be her third clash against Vekic (Osaka leads the head-to-head 2-0).