Tennis stars are on high alert at the French Open with the chaotic streets of Paris suddenly proving to be a danger zone.
Just days after Coco Gauff was involved in a car accident on the way to her first match of the tournament, Naomi Osaka has revealed she too was also in a rather alarming car crash ahead of her second round match.
Gauff’s car hit a pole and was not driveable after the accident, while Osaka’s car was hit by a bus.
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“I wasn’t scared for my life, but I was just, like, ‘Whoa, this bus is really backing up into us,’” she revealed after 7-6 (1) 6-4 victory over Croatia’s Donna Vekic.
“You could hear the car crunching.
“That was a really interesting situation. So I hope it doesn’t happen again today.”
Osaka is enjoying her best run at Roland Garros since 2019, but her tennis has been overshadowed by her wild fashion statements.
The Japanese star has made collaborating with fashion designers a feature of major tournaments and she caused a stir in the first round when she took to the court wearing a long black skirt and jacket, which she removed to reveal a sequinned gold dress.
For her second round clash with Vekic, Osaka donned a golden bomber jacket and long ivory train.
“For the outfit, the inspo (inspiration) was, I don’t want to say Victorian, but the ladies that have the dresses with the poof in the background,” she explained after her victory.
Osaka’s use of the tennis court as akin to a runway has divided opinions, with her first-round opponent Laura Siegemund telling German TV: “I couldn’t care less. I come here to play tennis, not to put on a fashion show.”
But Vekic is a fan, saying: “I think it’s good that she’s doing different things, expressing herself through fashion. Whether it’s good (fashion) or bad, that’s a different thing, it’s fashion.
“Some people take tennis way too seriously. Relax, it’s just an outfit. It’s not such a big deal. She has the opportunity to do that, so why not?”
Osaka has now moved through to the third round and her next opponent will be American teenager Iva Jovic.
Defending champion Gauff moved into the last 32 with straight-sets win. She saw off Mayar Sherif 6-3 6-2.
Sixth seed Amanda Anisimova only needed to spend 25 minutes on court, taking the first set 6-0 against Julia Grabher before the ailing Austrian called it a day.
Meanwhile 23-time grand slam champion Serena Williams is reportedly in discussions over a return to professional tennis at Queen’s Club next month.
A podcast hosted by Andy Roddick, a good friend of Williams, reported on Thursday that the 44-year-old is set to play doubles in London.
Williams has not played a match since a glittering farewell at the US Open in 2022.
– With PA
