The American earned high marks from the former champion when he rolled into his first Grand Slam semifinal while sporting her signature colorway.
Published Dec 12, 2022
Published Dec 12, 2022
Frances Tiafoe lit up Arthur Ashe Stadium with a scintillating run to the US Open semifinals, turning heads not only thanks to his audacious shotmaking but also with help from a pair of unique kicks courtesy of Naomi Osaka.
Tiafoe announced he would begin wearing the former world No. 1’s signature NikeCourt line ahead of the Wimbledon Championships, where he went on to reach the second week. But his footwear got even more attention in New York, where he scored back-to-back wins over Rafael Nadal and Andrey Rublev for the best Grand Slam result of his career.
Tiafoe began wearing the former world No. 1’s signature NikeCourt line ahead of Wimbledon, but his shoes got more attention amid his US Open semifinal run.
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The US Open allows for more eye-catching colorways than, say, the All England Club, and Osaka’s custom NikeCourt Air Zoom GP Turbos took full advantage of that creative freedom.
The mix of blue and green, set against shades of brown and tan, is accented by a canine insole in honor of Osaka’s bulldog Butta:
Frances Tiafoe is once again wearing @NaomiOsaka’s NikeCourt shoes at the #USOpen
The colorway is inspired by Naomi’s bulldog Butta, who is featured on the insole. pic.twitter.com/Saqsmpa35J
The Lore
Tiafoe had big plans with the shoe switch back in June, writing on Instagram, “Super pumped to start wearing Naomi Osaka’s shoe. Gonna start rocking it, come Wimbledon. She is my home girl. Show her love and I can’t wait to start rocking it.”
The American was true to his word and pulled off some epic performances throughout the summer, culminating in a five-set thriller against eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in Flushing Meadows.
Osaka gave Tiafoe high marks after his fourth-round upset over Nadal, writing, “shoe game crazy…keep it rollin” on her Instagram story in September.
The four-time Grand Slam champion has gotten more into the fashion mix in 2022 and currently boasts a men’s and women’s NikeCourt line that features some psychedelic colors and urban flair just in time for the holiday season.