Fritz donates R1 AO prize money to Los Angeles fire relief

Taylor Fritz will donate his first-round prize money at the Australian Open to relief efforts as wildfires continue to devastate the Los Angeles area.

The American will direct his AUD$ 132,000 (US$ 82,000) go towards LA wildfire relief funds. Fritz, who was born and raised in California and lived in LA for some time, has had friends and family back home affected by the ongoing disaster.

“I feel like it’s the least I can do,” said Fritz, the No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “Cal has been my home forever. I spent a lot of time in LA, I lived [there] for quite a while. I had friends impacted [and] some family had to evacuate. The house that my brothers grew up in burnt down. Obviously they’re not living there anymore.

“A lot of people are affected by it. I feel like if you're in a place to help, then you should.”

Fritz is safely through to the third round in Melbourne after a commanding 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 victory over Cristian Garin on Thursday. Coupled with his straight-sets triumph against Jenson Brooksby in the first round, the 27-year-old has dropped just eight games en route to setting up a meeting with veteran Gael Monfils.

Asked in his post-match media conference about his approach to nutrition, Fritz recalled his run to a maiden major final at the US Open last year. The American, who had previously never progressed past the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam, found himself adjusting to the experience of going deep.

“A bit of everything [on day prior to match]. Carbs, protein,” Fritz said of his food intake. “When you're about to play three-out-of-five sets, potentially in some heat as well, you literally can't eat enough.

“It's funny. During the US Open, I guess I was eating so much during my off days, I gained eight pounds during the tournament, which is insane. Yeah, I tend to eat a lot on the off days.”