Valentine’s Day may be just around the corner, but romance is not in the air for renowned Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka and rapper Cordae. Osaka shared the news that she and her longtime partner broke up on Jan. 6 via Instagram Stories, writing in part, “Hi everyone, just wanted to say that Cordae and I are no longer in a relationship.”
However, while there have been some dramatic celebrity breakups happening lately, this doesn’t seem to be one of them — at least, not according to what Osaka has commented publicly about her and Cordae’s split. “No bad blood at all, he’s a great person and an awesome dad,” Osaka continued in her Story post. “Honestly really glad our paths crossed because my daughter is my biggest blessing and I was able to grow a lot from our experiences together.” Cordae has not posted anything about this breakup, and it’s not certain he will.
Although the breakup announcement was short and simple, the relationship between Osaka and Cordae was anything but. Osaka and Cordae’s relationship timeline spans six years and includes a child they had together — a daughter, Shai, who was born in July 2023. If you’re just playing catchup on this couple, here’s everything to know about their relationship.
April 2019: The pair are spotted together publicly for the first time.
The couple’s first public date was at a Los Angeles Clippers game in 2019, and they had been linked romantically ever since. Cordae spoke about their date in a July 2019 interview with radio show Hot 97 saying, “That’s my girl.” He also said they had been seeing each other under wraps for a while before making their relationship public, though it’s unclear when they actually got together.
September 2020: Cordae shows his support at the U.S. Open.
.@cordae was hype when @naomiosaka captured her second #USOpen title 👏 pic.twitter.com/8eoLtsM9vQ
— espnW (@espnW) September 12, 2020
The following year, in 2020, Cordae was seen cheering for Osaka at the U.S. Open, where she won. She spoke to GQ in 2021 about that moment, and how she felt supported by him at the match, and was grateful for him being there. “I feel like he actually really helped me win — just, like, keeping up the motivation,” she said.
January 2023: Osaka announces her pregnancy.
In January 2023, Osaka posted on X announcing her pregnancy, but did not include any mention of Cordae being Shai’s father in the original post. She later posted a few appreciation posts about Cordae on her Instagram, which have since been deleted.
October 2023: The breakup rumors begin.
Rumors of their breakup began near the end of 2023, and by then Osaka had unfollowed Cordae on X and removed photos of him from her Instagram page.
January 2025: The breakup is IG official.
Following the rumors, Osaka confirmed the breakup on Jan. 6, 2025.