Tennis star Naomi Osaka has revealed she had to act quickly to rescue a valuable item as the wildfires came within three blocks of her Los Angeles home last week.
The Japanese star, who is currently competing in the Australian Open, shared her concerns in a post-match interview on Monday after her first-round win over France’s Caroline Garcia.
27-year-old Osaka paid tribute to the people of Los Angeles and shared that she asked someone to retrieve her daughter’s birth certificate from her $8.6 million home in the Tarzana neighborhood, as she feared the it might be destroyed.
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“I was watching the fire map, and the fire is like three blocks from my house,” she said. “So I had someone go and get my daughter’s birth certificate because I didn’t know what would happen if that burned down.
“But I guess [I am] sending all my love to LA. I know we hear about fires, but me in particular, I didn’t know how devastating it could be. I just hope everyone’s doing well, and I’m sending them all my love.”
The Los Angeles wildfires have destroyed numerous homes, with the death toll reportedly standing at 24.
Osaka bought her five-bedroom Tarzana home after she sold her previous property in Beverly Hills in 2022. She then gave birth to her daughter, Shai, in the summer of 2023.
Naomi Osaka’s exploits at the Australian Open and dealing with the scare of the wildfires are not all that she’s been surrounded with.
Osaka recently announced her split from Cordae, the father of her child.
On the eve of the Australian Open, the four-time Grand Slam champion revealed on Instagram that they had ended their six-year relationship, leaving many fans distraught.
“No bad blood at all. He’s a great person and an awesome dad,” Osaka wrote. “Honestly, really glad our paths crossed because my daughter is my biggest blessing, and I was able to grow a lot from our experience together.”
