Open finals when Naomi Osaka, the year-old tennis phenom, unexpectedly crushed a forehand at 86 mph past Victoria Azarenka and into the far corner for a point. The shot was mesmerizing—the kind of momentum shifter that eventually helped Osaka cruise to victory—but it was her non-reaction afterward that was most revealing. While someone like a Rafael Nadal might have celebrated by leaping into the air and screaming until their neck veins exploded, Osaka was…relaxed.
To get a copy, subscribe to GQ. And thank God for that. Because Cordae on the sidelines showcased a level of unbridled joy that was one of the few glimmers of goodness many of us had all year. And what better pair to fawn over? Despite being such a new face and name, Osaka is already the highest-paid female athlete in the world—with sponsorship deals from Nike, Beats by Dre, and Louis Vuitton. Cordae, on the other hand, is a radical thinker and an exciting new voice in music with cosigns from legends including Eminem and Dave Chappelle.
The L. More on that in a bit. That is, unless you start talking to Naomi about her relationship, in which case she gets noticeably flustered. We have a Ph. This, ladies and gentlemen, is puppy love—the rarest and most precious love of all.
I met with Naomi and Cordae over a series of Zooms: individually and then both at the same time. Especially when it comes to winning. GQ: You started tennis at age three and have been a competitor your entire life, basically. Has the importance of winning changed at all for you? When I was younger, winning was everything. You train your entire life for the match, and you feel like your worth is validated whether you win or lose.
It used to be really heavy when I lost, because I felt like that just meant that I was kind of worth nothing. Like saying hello to everyone you meet and stuff like that. I feel like that is more validating than whether I win a tennis match or not. To someone on the outside looking in, starting a profession super young seems really toxic.
