Naomi Osaka and her ex-boyfriend Cordae joined the rest of the world in celebrating Michael B. Jordan’s Best Actor win at the 2026 Academy Awards. The other nominees were Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke, Timothée Chalamet, and Wagner Moura.
Jordan won the Oscar for his double role in the 2025-released horror-action movie “Sinners,” written and directed by Ryan Coogler. The 39-year-old became the sixth black actor to win the prestigious honor after Will Smith, Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, and Forest Whitaker.
Osaka and rapper Cordae expressed their happiness as they reacted on social media. The tennis player shared a photo of Jordan from the ceremony on her Instagram Stories and wrote:
“This really touched my heart. The result may not come immediately but work pays off eventually:”
Coradae, on the other hand, posted a portrait of the actor holding his award and wrote on his Instagram Stories:
“Black Excellence.”
“Felt Like Playing Her For The First Time” – Naomi Osaka Reflects on Her Loss to Aryna Sabalenka at Indian Wells
The BNP Paribas Open was Naomi Osaka’s second tournament of the season. The 16th seed defeated Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva and Camila Osorio in her first two matches but lost 6-2, 6-4 to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Round of 16.
This was their second tour-level meeting, after the Japanese star beat the Belarusian in the Round of 16 of the 2018 US Open. At the post-match press conference, Osaka, who became a mother in 2023, was asked if it felt like playing Sabalenka for the first time. The World No. 15 nodded and said:
“It definitely felt like playing her for the first time. I think, like, obviously, I could watch her on TV or whatever, but in reality, it’s very different. I also feel like I was a little flat-footed sometimes, because I expected the ball to be coming harder, but then it didn’t. She grunts the same way for every ball. I was, like, Oh, my God, she tricked me.”
“No, it was a cool learning experience. I know we haven’t played for a long time, so I hope that we can play again sometime soon,” she added.
Osaka withdrew from the Australian Open ahead of her third-round match due to an injury. She has a 5-2 record so far and will next play at the WTA 1000 Miami Open, beginning March 17.
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