Cordae & Naomi Osaka Cover GQ

Love is in the air and on full display in GQ’s forthcoming “Modern Love” issue. Three different partners were chosen to be the issue’s cover stars: Ciara and Russell Wilson, Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird, and Naomi Osaka and Cordae.

In their Mark Anthony Green-penned story, the couple spoke on the early success they’ve had in their respective careers, feeling out of place in each other’s worlds, and how they’ve kept their relationship sacred in the public eye.

“We were dating for almost a year before people knew about us,” says Cordae. “We don’t really post intimate moments, because I feel as though they’re sacred. A relationship is really a sacred thing. Once you let outside influences get into it, it becomes less sacred.”

“Honestly, he’s quite a romantic dude,” Osaka adds. “This is going to take a little bit of backstory, but you know how in the U.S. Open we had to quarantine and we couldn’t really have a lot of people there with us? So for me I’ll always have my dad with me, because he’s sort of like the guy that keeps me calm and he tells one-liners to keep me happy and stuff like that. He was unable to travel with me there. During the whole New York thing and with everything that was going on, I started to feel really depressed. Sometimes I would call Cordae, and maybe in some of the calls I would cry. I don’t remember. [Laughs.] And he flew out, even though he was really busy. I really appreciated that.”

The entire interview can be read here.