Naomi Osaka fondly reminisces about Serena Williams’ "iconic" denim look from US Open 2004

Naomi Osaka recently reminisced about Serena Williams' 'iconic' denim skirt look from the 2004 US Open.

Osaka, who made her return to tennis this year after giving birth to her daughter Shai, recently competed at the 2024 Madrid Open. She defeated Greet Minnen comfortably in straight sets in the first round but was defeated by Liudmila Samsonova in the next round in a topsy-turvy three-setter.

The Japanese is a renowned fashion icon, having her exclusive collections with Nike and also her own eponymous fashion brand, among much more. She recently took to Instagram to post a photo of Serena Williams' famous look at the 2004 US Open where the American sported denim skirts. Osaka also called Williams' look iconic.

"This was so iconic"

Naomi Osaka's Instagram story

Williams, a five-time Grand Slam champion back then, was seeded third at the tournament. She was comfortable taking out her opponents one after another without dropping a set until she met compatriot Jennifer Capriati in the quarterfinals, who eliminated Williams with a comeback win.

Osaka's father, Leonard Francois, was inspired by how Richard Williams made his daughters two of the greatest players to ever play the game and wanted to emulate his methods in order to help his daughters reach similar heights. As fate would have it, Osaka defeated Serena Williams in the 2018 US Open final to win her maiden Grand Slam title.

"I think that Serena Williams' legacy is really wide to the point where you can't even describe it in words" - Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams

At the time of Serena Williams' farewell tour at the 2022 US Open, Naomi Osaka paid a heartfelt tribute to the American where she spoke about her impact on tennis and how she revolutionized the sport.

"I think that her legacy is really wide to the point where you can't even describe it in words. Like, she changed the sport so much. She's introduced people that have never heard of tennis into the sport. I think I'm a product of what she's done," Naomi Osaka said.

Osaka also admitted that she wouldn't have made it if not for the Williams family and called Serena the biggest force in sports.

"I wouldn't be here without Serena, Venus, her whole family. I'm, like, very thankful to her. I also was trying to figure out how to sum it into words. I honestly think that she's, like, the biggest force in the sport," she added.

Osaka and Serena Williams faced each other four times in their careers, with the Japanese leading their head-to-head 3-1.