American star Taylor Fritz pledged to give away the entirety of his Australian Open first-round winnings to help Los Angeles fire relief efforts, having breezed into the third round.
Speaking after he defeated Chilean qualifier Cristian Garin 6-2, 6-1, 6-0, Fritz revealed that he would be financially supporting those in need back home with a £670,000 donation.
“I just want everyone to stay safe. It’s just insane what happened,” Fritz said on court. “I wanted to say something after my first-round match but I’m going to be donating my first-round prize money to LA wildfire relief funds.
“It’s really the least I could do. Southern California’s my home and LA was my home for a very long time so I’m just doing what I can do to help. I would encourage anyone else who can donate to help too because a lot of people really need help.”
Adding his his post-match press conference, Fritz said: “Yeah, I mean, I feel like it’s really, like, the least I can do. Obviously So. Cal has been my home forever. I spent a lot of time, I still spend a lot of time in L.A., but I lived in L.A. 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. Yeah, I mean, a lot of people are affected by it. I feel like if you’re in a place to help, then you should.”
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