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Naomi Osaka is set to play at Indian Wells for the first time since her second-round exit in 2022. Osaka will be donning some interesting colors for her campaign this year, going by the pictures of her attire that are doing the rounds on social media.
Osaka missed the 2023 edition of the Palm Springs event because she was pregnant. The 26-year-old eventually gave birth to her daughter Skai last July. She has since made a respectable comeback to the WTA Tour, having won three of her seven matches during this season thus far.
Naomi Osaka will wear a jade green outfit with white segments near both shoulders, the right side of which features the Nike swoosh. Moreover, the former World No. 1 will also sport one of her sponsors Workday's logo patch on her Indian Wells apparel.
While the color scheme is certainly eclectic, the most eye-catching aspect of Osaka's attire is the fact that its chest has embroidered patterns. Moreover, she has only worn a green outfit once in her career.
The Japanese star previously donned an all-green outfit at the 2022 French Open. However, she barely got to play in it as she was bundled out in the first round by Amanda Anisimova.
Naomi Osaka won her maiden big title against all odds at Indian Wells 2018
Naomi Osaka has enjoyed her fair share of success in Indian Wells. The Japanese star won the first of her two WTA 1000 titles at Palm Springs in 2018, joining Serena Williams (1999) and Kim Clijsters (2005) as the only three female players to win the tournament as an unseeded player.
The then-20-year-old began her Palm Springs campaign on a scintillating note. Osaka swatted aside former top players such as Maria Sharapova and Agnieszka Radwanska to reach the third round, where she beat American qualifier Sachia Vickery.
Osaka needed three sets to advance past Maria Sakkari in the fourth round, marking the only time she dropped a set during her 2018 Indian Wells campaign. The Japanese then upset top-seeded players such as Karolina Pliskova, Simona Halep and Daria Kasatkina in straight sets in her last three matches, thereby winning her maiden title on the WTA Tour.
Naomi Osaka's run at Indian Wells was a precursor to her maiden Major title-winning run at the US Open in September that year. She defeated 23-time Major winner Serena Williams in the final at Flushing Meadows, becoming the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam tournament in singles.
