Naomi Osaka Reveals Emergency Situation After Wildfires Threaten Her Los Angeles Home
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Naomi Osaka gave a message to those impacted by the wildfires in Los Angeles, California, and revealed how close they were to her house.
The wildfires have most impacted the Los Angeles metropolitan area, but destruction has also been caused to surrounding areas during the devastation that began on January 7th.
As of January 13th, at least 24 people have been killed, around 180,000 were forced to evacuate, and over 12,000 structures have been destroyed or damaged. That has altered people's lives in a way that will require much rebuilding.
Naomi Osaka lives in Los Angeles. She and rapper Cordae have a home there with their daughter. However, Osaka recently revealed that the pair had split after six years together, which caused some shock.
The four-time Grand Slam champion has been away from her home in Los Angeles since traveling to Auckland for her opening tournament of the new season at the ASB Classic alongside new coach Patrick Mouratoglou. It was just their second event together.
Osaka reached her first final since the 2021 Australian Open final in Auckland. That run included staying composed after her opening round against the Israeli player, Lina Glushko, was interrupted by fans protesting against Israel's actions in Gaza.
Unfortunately, Osaka had to retire after the first set of the final against Clara Tauson with an abdominal injury. Losing the opportunity to win her first title in almost four years was devastating.
Despite admitting before the Australian Open began that her MRI scan for the issue was not as good as she had hoped, Osaka still managed to defeat Caroline Garcia in three sets in the opening round, avenging her loss to the same player last year.
In an interview after the match, Osaka was asked about the wildfires in Los Angeles because she is a resident of the area. The two-time Australian Open winner revealed how close the wildfires came to her home.
"I was watching the firemap and the fire was like three blocks away from my house. So, I had someone go get my daughter's birth certificate and all that because I didn't know what would happen if that burned down."
Osaka admitted she did not realize how devastating wildfires could be until the reality hit the area where she lived. The former WTA world No. 1 then sent her love to everyone in the city.
"I guess, sending all my love to L.A. I know we hear about fires, but for me especially I didn't realize how devastating it could be. Yeah, I just hope everyone's doing well and I'm sending them all my love."
While Osaka's concern for those living in Los Angeles is understandable, she must be entirely focused in the next round against Karolina Muchova. The Czech, one of the best players to watch, defeated her at last year's US Open.
Muchova only lost two games in the opening round against Nadia Podoroska in Melbourne. Osaka will almost certainly need to bring her A+ game to defeat Muchova, but the ASB Classic runner-up's recent form makes it possible.
