Naomi Osaka shows off very different look after Aus Open win

Naomi Osaka looks vastly different to the woman who won the Australian Open on the weekend, showing off a dramatic new style.

Usain Bolt gave Naomi Osaka his tick of approval.

Naomi Osaka has changed a lot in the past 12 months — but this might be her biggest makeover yet.

The Japanese tennis star is still celebrating her win over Jennifer Brady on the weekend to claim a second Australian Open crown — and fourth grand slam title overall — and has decided to get a little creative with her locks.

Osaka took to social media on Friday to show off a bold new look that featured straight, bright pink hair and pink eye shadow — a far cry from her usual brown, curly locks she pulls back into a ponytail when she’s on the court.

There’s a possibility the world No. 2 was testing out a wig just to see what going pink for a day would feel like, but it looks pretty legitimate to us as a dye job.

Osaka referenced Japanese Manga character Sakura in her post and Olympic sprinting legend Usain Bolt was a fan, commenting on Instagram: “U wore it better @naomiosaka lol.”

Sakura could never lol. pic.twitter.com/AIS8AATws8

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) February 25, 2021

The before shot looks very different.

Late on Thursday Osaka was tweeting when she noticed a cool detail about a photo from her Australian Open triumph that went viral in the aftermath of her straight sets victory.

With her arms raised, Australian ballkid Marle van der Merwe looked on in admiration, the expression on the teenager’s face saying all you needed to know about her feelings for Osaka.

“Was looking at pics from AO and I just noticed the ball girl in this … hi,” Osaka posted to Twitter with a love heart and waving emoji, in response to the snap taken by Getty Images’ Quinn Rooney.

That reaction is gold.

Osaka thumped Brady 6-4 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night before her victory speech drew attention because of an awkward, unintentional blooper.

After asking Brady whether she preferred to be called Jennifer or Jenny, the American answered “Jenny”. However, Osaka turned back to the microphone and opened with: “Firstly, I want to congratulate Jennifer.”

The accidental one-liner made the internet crack up but while the snub may have added insult to injury, the four-time major winner was horrified to learn she’d completely ignored Brady’s direction.

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Osaka wrote “OMG no” with crying and sad emojis. “I promise you my mind thought I called her Jenny in that moment and I was so confused why the crowd was laughing. I’m so sorry,” she said.

All hail the tennis queen.

Her hair doesn’t look like that now.

During her post-match press conference, Osaka promised not to be weighed down by “pressure and expectation” after her latest victory sparked talk she could end up winning 10 grand slams.

Osaka became only the third player after Monica Seles and Roger Federer to win their first four major finals, and has risen to second in the world rankings.

The 23-year-old sensation is now seen as the dominant force in women’s tennis, a view shared by seven-time slam winner Mats Wilander, who believes Osaka can win 10 grand slams.

“I’m taking it in sections. For right now, I’m trying to go for five,” Osaka said, when asked about Wilander’s comment.

“After five I would think about maybe dividing the 10, so maybe seven or eight.

“I don’t like to take things big-picture. For me, I like to live in the moment.

“It’s an honour that he said that. But I don’t want to weigh myself down with pressure and expectations.”