MELBOURNE, Australia — American tennis player Taylor Fritz said Thursday he is donating the prize money he earned for his first-round victory at the Australian Open — about $82,000 — to relief funds to help people affected by the wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area.
“I mean, I feel like it’s really the least I can do,” said U.S. Open finalist Fritz, who was born in Rancho Santa Fe, California, and still is based in the state.
“Obviously ‘SoCal’ has been my home forever. I still spend a lot of time in LA, but I lived in LA for quite a while. I have friends impacted; family not so much. I had some family have to evacuate. The house that my brothers grew up in burnt down. Obviously, they’re not living there anymore,” Fritz said after reaching the third round at Melbourne Park with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 victory over qualifier Cristian Garin of Chile.
“A lot of people are affected by it,” added Fritz, the runner-up to Jannik Sinner at the U.S. Open in September and seeded No. 4 in Australia. “I feel like if you’re in a place to help, then you should.”
Authorities have not determined a cause for the major blazes in what is on track to become the nation’s costliest fire disaster, with at least 25 people dead and thousands of homes destroyed.
Several athletes with connections to the LA area have been competing at the year’s first Grand Slam tournament.
Naomi Osaka, a four-time major champion, said she sent someone to retrieve her 1 1/2-year-old daughter’s birth certificate from their California home in case it got caught up in the fires. Tristan Boyer, a 23-year-old from California who had a first-round win but lost Thursday, said his father had to evacuate their house in Altadena.
“We have friends and family who are homeless now. It’s really, really devastating to see,” Boyer said. “Obviously trying to do what I need to do to prep and play tennis, but control what I can control in this moment. But it’s hard for sure.”
Fritz will play French veteran Gael Monfils on Saturday for a berth in the fourth round in Australia. Also on Fritz’s mind is what is happening back home.
“I just want everyone to obviously stay safe,” Fritz said. “It’s just insane what happened.”
