American tennis star Taylor Fritz pledges to donate Australian Open prize money to LA wildfires relief fund
2025-01-17
Category: sports

American tennis star Taylor Fritz is the latest athlete to contribute to the relief funds for the wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area.&nbsp; Fritz, 27, said on Thursday that he is donating the prize money he earned for his first-round victory at the Australian Open – about $82,000 – toward the relief funds. "I mean, I feel like it’s really the least I can do," Fritz said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM  Fritz was born in Rancho Santa Fe, California, and is still based in the state.&nbsp; "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&nbsp;Melbourne Park&nbsp;with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 victory over qualifier Cristian Garín of Chile. "A lot of people are affected by it. 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 27 people dead and thousands of homes destroyed. AMERICAN TENNIS PRO DANIELLE COLLINS THANKS AUSTRALIAN OPEN FANS FOR ‘PAYING MY BILLS’ AFTER GETTING HECKLED  Fritz is not the only tennis player with connections to the Los Angeles area who is competing at the Australian Open.&nbsp; Naomi Osaka, a four-time major champion, said she sent someone to retrieve her 1 ½ 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." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  Fritz, the No. 4 ranked player in the tournament, will take on Gaël Monfils on Saturday for a berth in the fourth round, but his mind will still be on what is happening back home.&nbsp; "I just want everyone to obviously stay safe," Fritz said.&nbsp; "It's just insane what happened." The Associated Press contributed to this report.&nbsp; Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.