Love Stories: Naomi Osaka's boyfriend didn't know she was a tennis champion on their first date
I?n July 2023, tennis star Naomi Osaka, 26, celebrated a huge life milestone off the court.
The four-time grand slam singles ?winner became a first-time mum to her daughter. ?
"My daughter Shai was just born a couple days ago, so I dedicate this performance to my baby girl Shai," Osaka's partner and father of her daughter, rapper Cordae Amari Dunston, revealed during a concert.
But before the famous couple welcomed their first child together, their romance began just as you would expect of a star athlete จC at a sports game.
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Osaka จC whose 2024 Australian Open campaign came to an abrupt end on Monday night จC first met her boyfriend? in 2019 on a date to see the L.A. Clippers basketball game.
But there was one slight hiccup จC the rapper, who goes by the stage name Cordae, didn't actually know Osaka was a world famous tennis player before they met.
"?If you asked me about tennis, before being immersed in it because of Naomi, I could only give you Venus and Serena Williams, you know?" Cordae told GQ.
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?In the same issue, Osaka revealed the couple had to FaceTime to even find each other on their first date because the arena was "so big."
As far as first impressions go, the tennis star "thought it was really cool" seeing the rapper being friendly and stopping to take pictures with fans.
After a slam-dunk of a date, the couple kept their relationship under wraps for a year before they went public with their new romance.
While the private pair rarely post about their relationship on social media, Cordae has been pictured in the tennis stands over the years cheering on his superstar girlfriend.
The stylish pair even stepped out for a date night at the Met Gala in 2021. ?
In a full circle moment, the couple seemed to recreate their first date two years later as they were spotted sitting courtside at the Staples Center in 2021, looking loved up.
After several years of dating, Osaka surprised her 2.7 million Instagram followers in January 2023 with the announcement the couple were expecting.
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"These few months away from the sport have really given me a new love and appreciation for the game I've dedicated my life to," Osaka wrote after taking a mental health break from the sport.
"I know that I have so much to look forward to in the future, one thing I'm looking forward to is for my kid to watch one of my matches and tell someone, 'that's my mum,' haha."
?Osaka and Cordae officially welcomed their daughter Shai a few months later in July.
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But just three months after the couple became first-time parents, a single tweet brought up speculation that there was trouble in paradise.
"I just want someone that will watch the sunset with me," the tennis champion wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter in October.
The cryptic message plus deleted posts of Cordae on Osaka's Instagram page sent fans into a frenzy believing she had called it quits with the rapper.
But ?Osaka seems to have put the rumours of a rift to bed, speaking positively to InStyle
"We built a really good foundation," she told the magazine for their cover issue.
"I don't know if it's because he's just an easy-going guy, but I think we just respect each other's opinions."
"And if we disagree on something, we talk it out. At the end of the day, we both want what's best for Shai."
