Taylor Fritz Donates Australian Open Prize Money To LA Wildfire Victims
American tennis player Taylor Fritz has pledged his first-round prize money from the Australian Open to support victims of the Los Angeles wildfires.

American tennis player Taylor Fritz has pledged his first-round prize money from the Australian Open to support victims of the Los Angeles wildfires.
The fires, which began on 7 January, have killed at least 25 people and are being marked as the most destructive in the city’s history.
After beating Chilean qualifier Cristian Garin to reach the third round on Thursday, Fritz announced he would donate his 132,000 Australian dollars (£67,000) first-round prize.
Advertisement
Taylor Fritz was born in Rancho Santa Fe, California, and still is based in the state.
“I mean, I feel like it’s really the least I can do,” said the 2024 US Open finalist.
“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,” the 29-year-old said.
Fritz, who lost to Jannik Sinner in last year’s US Open final, wrote “LA” and drew a love heart on a camera lens after his 6-2 6-1 6-0 win over Garin in Melbourne.

The world number four will face French veteran Gael Monfils in the third round.
Also Read: LA Wildfires: LA Sports Teams Pledge $8 Million For Wildfire Relief
Other tennis players with LA connections
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka revealed on Monday that the wildfires were just three blocks from her home. She sent someone to retrieve her 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.
Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Iga Swiatek also dedicated their first-round Australian Open wins to the LA wildfire relief fund.