With wildfire ‘three blocks away’ from her LA home, Naomi Osaka says she sent someone to get her daughter’s birth certificate

(CNN) — Naomi Osaka called her 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win against Caroline Garcia in the Australian Open first round “an acceptable job.”

But Osaka has more on her mind than seeking her fifth major title – and first title of any kind since becoming a mother. Her heart is with Los Angeles, as wildfires have been raging there for days.

“I was watching the fire map, and the fire is like three blocks from my house. So I had someone go and get my daughter’s birth certificate and all that because I didn’t know what would happen if that burned down,” Osaka said in her on-court interview after her first-round win.

“Sending all my love to LA. I know we hear about fires, but for 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.”

Osaka, seeking her third Australian Open title and first grand slam title since winning in Melbourne in 2021, later addressed reporters in a press conference wearing a Los Angeles Lakers jersey and a Los Angeles hat with a heart. She was asked about how she has kept her focus while knowing what’s been happening close to her house.

“Honestly, I don’t think I’ve been doing the greatest keeping focus, but obviously I won, so I think it’s an acceptable job,” Osaka said.

“It is really difficult for me because I think it’s tougher now because I find my home is more of a home because I have memories with my daughter, and there’s so many things like keepsakes and stuff like that, and obviously you can’t hoard them all when you’re asking someone to go to your house and just grab stuff.

“So it is really tough in that sense, and I’m not there, so I don’t know how bad it is or how bad it’s going to get, but I think the biggest thing that I am grateful for is that everyone in my family is safe.”

Osaka said she’s checking on the fire situation back home any chance she gets.

“I don’t think I’ll go back to LA immediately after,” Osaka said. “I don’t feel like it’s safe enough to go back there, so it’s kind of a little bit in a limbo, but also motivating me to hopefully stay here as long as I can.”

‘I love getting difficult draws’

Osaka’s season got off to a promising start when she reached the final in Auckland, New Zealand. But after winning the first set 6-4 against Clara Tauson, Osaka was forced to retire because of an abdominal injury. It was her first final since returning from maternity leave 12 months ago.

In Melbourne, Osaka has a potentially daunting Australian Open draw ahead – with players she’s familiar with.

It started with Garcia. This Australian Open first round, the pairing had the feeling of déjà vu, but with a different result compared to 12 months ago. They have now faced each other three times at the Australian Open, including last year, with Garcia winning in 2024.

Osaka passed the Garcia test and is now 3-2 in matches against her. In the second round, she’ll face a tough opponent in Karolína Muchová.

Muchová beat Osaka in this same round last year at the US Open and went on to make a run to the semifinals.

“Obviously I fell a little short in the US Open, but my outfit was spectacular,” Osaka said with a laugh. “But I’m hoping this time my tennis can shine a little bit better. And also, I love getting difficult draws, like I find that the most fun. It’s kind of like once you get a difficult draw you can prove that you’re the best of the best.”

Should Osaka get past Muchová , she potentially could face Belinda Bencic – also back from maternity leave – in the third round. A fourth round could be against Coco Gauff.

In head-to-head matchups, Muchová (2-1), Bencic (3-2) and Gauff (3-2) all have winning records against Osaka.

This is also the same half of the draw as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who is seeking her third straight Australian Open title.

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