Naomi Osaka's Boyfriend Cordae Didn't Watch Tennis Before Meeting Her
Naomi Osaka always has her biggest cheerleader by her side.
The four-time Grand Slam champ is currently wowing audiences in the Billie Jean King Cup. But one fan in particular is always ready to celebrate the tennis star: her boyfriend Cordae.
The rapper and tennis pro have been dating for years, even welcoming their first child in July. Here’s everything to know about the couple:
Cordae and Naomi met at a Los Angeles Clippers game.
Cordae and Naomi met at a basketball game for the Los Angeles Clippers, he told HOT 97 in 2019. But the 26-year-old didn’t know who Naomi was at the time: The only tennis player he knew was Serena Williams, he said.
"My parents watch tennis. My management watches tennis. My uncles and aunts watch tennis...me and my cohorts [didn't watch tennis]," he said.
The two began quietly dating for a "little while," but kept it under wraps. However, internet sleuths grew suspicious when Naomi posted an April 2019 Instagram video featuring Cordae himself.
“Can’t take this guy anywhereeeee lol,” she captioned the post, per Elle. Two months later, Cordae later confirmed the relationship on HOT 97.
"I don't really like to go too public with my personal life...but it would be disrespectful to her if I said nah at this point," he told the radio hosts. "That's my girl."
The couple shared their first kiss in Indian Wells, according to their joint GQ interview.
He’s a Grammy-nominated rapper from Maryland.
Cordae is a musician who grew up in the Suitland, Maryland. In 2017, he was a college student working at TGI Friday's to support himself before joining the hip hop collective YBN.
"I was miserable," he told Billboard of that time. "That was when I was really like the lost boy. I was just miserable as fuck at work. This was in Baltimore. I was working at a Fridays in Baltimore."
He’s released two albums, including his debut The Lost Boy, which was nominated for two Grammys (Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song). In a post that since been deleted, Naomi hyped up his second album From a Birds Eye View on IG in 2022, per People.
"Getting closer to someone and seeing how much love and dedication they put into their craft is truly inspiring," Naomi wrote on Instagram, according to the magazine. "Makes you feel like some people are born to do certain things.
Cordae commented back, "I LOVE U 2 DEATH!! U TRULY MY RIDE OR DIE BONNIE AND CLYDE JUST WAY MORE FLY." Awww!
They welcomed their daughter Shai in July 2023.
The pair have a child together, having welcomed their daughter Shai in July. Cordae himself announced his daughter's name at a concert, telling fans at Canada's Calgary Stampede in July 2023, "My daughter Shai was just born a couple days ago, so I dedicate this performance to my baby girl Shai." He added, per People, "Love you, I'm going back home."
According to Naomi, the name means "God's gift."
"That’s how I wanted her to feel, like she’s God’s gift to me and her dad," Naomi told ESPN.
The little lady even made her own magazine debut when she was photographed from behind in Glamour.
"I feel so strong. People talk about childbirth, but it's different once you experience it," Naomi shared with the magazine. "I just feel like I can do anything, and nothing will bother me, and the pain tolerance has definitely increased a lot from that. I just don't really care about other people's opinions anymore."
He’s super supportive of Naomi’s career.
Cordae may not have been a tennis fan before meeting Naomi, but he sure is now. He’s consistently in the stands at her games and was even in the crowd when she won the US Open in 2020.
When y’all freshly in love so you ain’t sure if you allowed in the family photos yet. pic.twitter.com/DPgRqkg8m0
— Roy Wood Jr- Ex Jedi (@roywoodjr) September 12, 2020
He even quarantined with her during the tournament after she called him feeling lonely, according to People.
"I FaceTimed him a couple days earlier and said I was feeling sad and lonely in the bubble," Naomi wrote on IG at the time, per the magazine. Cordae then boarded the next flight and quarantined, all so he could be with her. So sweet!
???????? pic.twitter.com/N13XC34D8K
— Cordae (@cordae) September 13, 2020
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