MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — While Naomi Osaka is busy competing—and winning—at the Australian Open, she needed to send someone to retrieve her 1 1/2-year-old daughter’s birth certificate from their California home in case it got caught up in the wildfires ravaging the greater Los Angeles area.
After a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory against Caroline Garcia of France in the first round at Melbourne Park on Monday night, Osaka said during an on-court interview at Rod Laver Arena that she had learned that there was a fire burning three blocks from her house.
Osaka said she figured it would be a good idea to keep the birth certificate safe. Her daughter, Shai, was born in July 2023 and has traveled with Osaka on the tennis tour.
Osaka announced this month on social media that she and Shai’s father, rapper Cordae, had ended their relationship.
“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 about dividing her thoughts between Los Angeles and the tournament where she’s competing. “It is really difficult for me … because I find now my home is more of a home because I have memories with my daughter. There’s so many things — keepsakes and stuff like that.”
