“Checking the fire map constantly”: Naomi Osaka discusses wildfires near L.A. home

Naomi Osaka expressed her concerns over the massive wildfires in Los Angeles, revealing that the fire was "three blocks from my house" according to a fire map. The four-time Grand Slam champion debuted with a hard-fought win at the Australian Open, defeating the always-challenging Caroline Garcia 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Osaka faced the French player in the opening round of the Aussie Open for the second consecutive year, marking their fourth clash in the past 52 weeks. This victory was Osaka’s first win at the tournament since 2022, when she reached the third round.

Osaka’s victory overshadowed by wildfire fears

However, during her on-court interview, Osaka admitted she was struggling to stay focused in Melbourne while devastating fires raged in Los Angeles, where she resides. “I was watching the fire map, and the fire is three blocks from my house. I had someone go get my daughter's birth certificate.”

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The former world No. 1, who welcomed her daughter Shai 18 months ago, expressed her concern for belongings and memories tied to her Los Angeles home. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ve been doing the greatest keeping focus,” she said. “It’s really difficult because now my home feels more like a home since I have memories with my daughter.”

“There are so many keepsakes and things like that. Obviously, you can’t hoard them all when asking someone to just grab stuff from your house. It’s really tough in that sense.”

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So far, 24 people have been reported dead due to the fires in the U.S. city. Osaka mentioned that her family was safe but admitted feeling distracted by constantly "checking the wildfire map any chance I get just to see what’s happening.”

“I also feel like it’s tough because I don’t think I’ll go back to L.A. immediately after. I don’t feel it’s safe enough to return there,” the two-time Australian Open champion added. “It’s a bit of a limbo, but it’s also motivating me to hopefully stay here as long as I can.”

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