Naomi Osaka’s appearance at this May’s Met Gala in New York – which she wittily dubbed “the grand slam of fashion” – was a whirlwind business engagement jammed between two of tennis’s major tournaments. With stacked schedules, tennis superstars are usually found taking ice baths between events. Not Osaka, who donned a 9kg Robert Wun couture gown in response to the Met’s “fashion is art” theme.

Her presence at the Met Ball was more than a celebrity detour. Osaka is not just a professional tennis player – she has moved beyond the limiting boundaries of the sport.

For me, as a researcher of Black fashion culture and identity politics, this raises interesting questions: is Osaka first in line to define what tennis looks like in the future? How does a tennis player secure a place on Anna Wintour’s notoriously strict guest list of cultural power brokers, celebrities and creatives?

Well, Osaka is simultaneously an athlete, fashion collaborator, businesswoman, activist, mother and global celebrity. Superhero? Maybe.

The scandalising tennis ring walk

I was lucky enough to watch Osaka at the Madrid Open this spring, striding onto court in a custom Nike dress and baseball visor. From the stands, my son and I bellowed our support during her high-octane contest with Aryna Sabalenka. We love her point of difference and her cause.

Part of that difference lies in how she occupies and owns the court. Like a boxer making a ring walk, Osaka’s arrival has become part of the spectacle itself – she........

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