Naomi Osaka, the super star tennis player and rapper Cordae have broken up, according to Osaka’s Instagram story, posted on January 6. Her announcement makes official what many online have speculated about since she stopped following the rapper on social media in October of 2023. The former couple, who share a daughter, Shai, have been together since at least 2019.
According to Osaka’s IG post, she pointed out that though they’re no longer in a relationship, there is “no bad blood at all,” which is really good to hear. As a couple, they seemed like a fun duo, with Cordae frequently popping up at her tennis matches to show support for his then-girlfriend who took the tennis world by storm in the late 2010s. When the four-time Grand Slam champion opened up about her struggles with anxiety in 2021 in the wake of being fined for skipping post-match pressers and ultimately pulling out of the French Open, it appears that Cordae was a support for her during that time.
While the couple is no longer officially together, she says Cordae is “great person and an awesome dad.” That sounds like they will hopefully have (or likely already do have) a healthy co-parenting relationship, perhaps built on mutual respect.
Though none of us, save for those closest to the couple, know what truly went on in their relationship, the positive tone of Osaka’s announcement reads as if the two are in a solid place and the love for their child is paramount, which bodes well for their future as parents.
Osaka finished her thought with: “Honestly really glad our paths crossed because my daughter is the biggest blessing and I was able to grow a lot from our experiences together.”
Osaka recently made it to the finals of the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand but had to retire early due to injury after winning the opening set. She is set to compete in the Australian Open later this month in Melbourne, Australia; it is unclear yet if her injury will impact her availability for the Grand Slam tournament. Cordae’s latest album, “The Crossroads,” was released in November 2024.
Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Dear Culture” on theGrio Black Podcast Network. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest) but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said “Unknown” (Blackest).