Naomi Osaka Is Manifesting A Rihanna Sighting At The 2021 Met Gala

As New York City prepares to fully reopen this summer, the 2021 calendar is quickly filling up with parties and events. Remember those? And after being canceled last year, the 2021 Met Gala is definitely happening. Anna Wintour has rounded out a cast of outstanding Zoomer talent to host the event in September, including Naomi Osaka, Timothée Chalamet, Amanda Gorman, and Billie Eilish. Osaka, who has won four Grand Slam singles’ titles and will be competing at the 2021 Olympics, is not even pretending to portray the dedicated, unflappable athlete that she is on the court — she is so excited for her new gig, and has one mission in mind: to meet Rihanna.

“If I see Rihanna ima pass out,” Osaka wrote on Twitter. Rihanna is, of course, a legendary Met Gala attendee and special host at this point — her looks have spawned memes, uplifted designers of color, and stepped on all of our collective necks, sometimes all at once. It may be Wintour’s red carpet, but it’s Rihanna’s party, and even Osaka is anxious to bask in the glory that is RiRi’s sublime fashion existence.

Osaka also posted a photo of Rihanna’s 2018 Met Gala papal ensemble on Instagram, writing that she is “trying to manifest Rihanna.” Whether Osaka desiring to manifest the singer’s stylistic grandeur or an IRL meet-and-greet is unclear, but given how much of a superfan she appears to be, we’re assuming it is both.

As for her own look, Osaka didn’t give any indication of who she will be wearing, though we’d place our best sports wagers on Louis Vuitton. She was selected to be a brand ambassador in January 2021, wearing Nicolas Ghesquière’s signature bold colors and geometrical shapes in their spring campaign and her Vogue cover. Whatever she’ll be wearing, it will no doubt be another sensational moment in the young athlete’s career — after all, the Met Gala takes place in September, just after the August 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, where she is eyeing a gold medal.