Naomi Osaka prevented from wearing new TAG Heuer watch on court

Last month, Baseline covered the ins and outs of Naomi Osaka's new collection with TAG Heuer. The four-time major champion revealed her latest collaboration with the luxury brand just days before the start of the Australian Open. This line wasn't a typical stamp of her name type of deal, but Osaka actually helped design the timepiece that's meant to be worn both on and off the court.

Many fans were surprised to see Osaka take the court without the new-connected watch during her Australian Open campaign, especially right after debuting the bold green watch that gives a nod to her day job. However due to the Aquaracer's smartwatch capabilities, it was a no go with tournament officials. Osaka still wore a TAG Heuer band, but just not the newest connected watch.

At no point during a Grand Slam match are players allowed to communicate to others off the court, and the stunning piece is considered a communication device. It was a major missed opportunity for the brand that planned on her showing off the watch while cracking groundstrokes and serves.

“We tried, but she cannot wear any connected watch while playing professionally, because players aren’t allowed to communicate with others off the court during a match. And this would be considered a communication device,” TAG Heuer’s CEO Frédéric Arnault said in an interview last week.

The former No. 1 took off the majority of last season due to protecting her mental health, but because of it, the former No. 1 has suffered a massive drop to No. 85. Things look considerably different in 2022 for the 24-year-old, but once a champion always a champion and there's no telling what she will do next.

The Australian Open's 2021 champion fell in the third-round to a solid Amanda Anisimova in three tight sets.