Naomi Osaka could also be on the opposite aspect of the world, however her thoughts may be very a lot on her dwelling. After defeating Caroline Garcia, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, within the first spherical of the Australian Open, Osaka revealed she had somebody retrieve her daughter’s delivery certificates from her Los Angeles-area dwelling because the wildfires that have destroyed wide swaths of Southern California neared her home.
“I used to be watching the hearth map, and the hearth is, like, three blocks from my home,” Osaka mentioned in her on-court interview after the match. “So I had somebody go and get my daughter’s delivery certificates and all that, as a result of I did not know what would occur if that burned down.
“Sending all my like to L.A. I do know we hear about fires, however for me specifically, I did not know the way devastating it may very well be. I simply hope everybody’s doing effectively, and I am sending all of them my love.”
Osaka, 27, give delivery in July 2023 and returned to tennis a few yr in the past. She has two Australian Open titles (2019, 2021) and two US Open titles (2018, 2020) to her identify and is recent off making the ASB Basic ultimate in Auckland, New Zealand, earlier this month — her first ultimate since 2022. Osaka took the primary set in that match in opposition to Clara Tauson however was pressured to retire with an belly damage.
Osaka, who’s ranked 51st on the planet and is unseeded within the Australian Open, admitted it has been robust staying centered on tennis however in the end did an “acceptable job” within the victory over Garcia.
“It’s actually tough for me as a result of I feel it is harder now, as a result of I discover my house is extra of a house, as a result of I’ve reminiscences with my daughter, and there is so many issues like keepsakes and stuff like that, and clearly you possibly can’t hoard all of them while you’re asking somebody to go to your own home and simply seize stuff.”
Osaka mentioned her household is protected and she or he is checking on the standing of the fires usually. She added she doesn’t envision returning to Los Angeles the the speedy future, which is serving as motivation for her to maintain successful Down Underneath. Osaka faces Twentieth-seeded Karolina Muchova within the second spherical.
Osaka is not the one Australian Open contestant pondering of Los Angeles. Coco Gauff wrote a message on the digital camera after her first-round win.
