“I would like to just send my thoughts and prayers to all those affected,” Coco Gauff paid her heartfelt tributes on Sunday, to people suffering from devastating wildfires in the LA County. The situation has been nothing short of a nightmare for thousands of households. According to official reports, 16 lives have been lost already. More than 10,000 constructions have turned into debris. Over 150,000 people have been evacuated so far while the losses incurred are estimated to be above $8 billion. After Gauff’s message to the victims, her ex-coach has also come forward to share a major update on his family.

Ahead of the Australian Open 2025’s commencement, Brad Gilbert took to X to present an uncertain picture of the weather in Melbourne. He found out that the forecast indicated heavy rain on Day 1, which meant many matches might get delayed for an extended time. “Melbourne, Australia Hourly Weather Forecast | Weather Underground still getting used to Sunday start ⁦@AustralianOpen going to be tricky weather day this afternoon,” he wrote on January 12.

While Gilbert was talking about the weather forecast on the opening day of the Australian Open, some fans were curious to know about the whereabouts of his family. Gilbert’s family also lives in California where the wildfires are currently ablaze. Fortunately, the ex-ATP pro shared positive news on this front. When asked if his loved ones are safe right, he confirmed, “Knock ✊ on wood 🪵 family is safe 🙏”

Well, it’s great to know that Gilbert’s family is secure from the deadly conditions in LA County. But it seems not everyone is fortunate enough amidst the adversity. Ex-WTA pro-Pam Shriver is among the notable figures who have been personally affected by the deadly situation. But what happened to her?

Family becomes a priority for Pam Shriver as she misses out on Donna Vekic’s Australian Open 2025 campaign

On Sunday, Pam Shriver revealed a massive update regarding her family in California. Due to the ongoing LA wildfires, the former American player decided to skip the Australian Open 2025 in Melbourne. Shriver, who’s also an ESPN analyst, wrote on X, “With @AustralianOpen start @espn & @DonnaVekic playing later today, I am back in LA helping manage my family’s needs. The MVP athletes in charge of hitting fire targets with water dumps from helicopters and planes have been showing extraordinary hand-eye skills.”

Apart from being an ESPN analyst, Shriver is also the main coach of Croatian player Donna Vekic. But due to a family emergency, she won’t be able to attend the 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalist’s matches down under. It’s a similar situation to the one she faced in 2024 when she had to miss out on her matches in Paris due to work commitments. Even in last year’s Australian Open, she skipped being down under for Vekic’s campaign. Back in January 2024, the 1988 Seoul Olympics Gold medalist had to take care of her three children along with her ESPN work schedule.

As Shriver is with her family, other tennis pros are praying for those affected in LA wildfires. Last year’s WTA Finals winner Coco Gauff shared a heartfelt message ahead of her Australian Open campaign. She’s set to face compatriot Sofia Kenin on Monday. In a video shared by Tennis.com on X on Sunday, the 20-year-old said, “First I would like to just send my thoughts and prayers to all those affected by this fire and send my biggest thank you to the firefighters and first responders who are out there and fighting these fires. Especially the incarcerated firefighters who aren’t getting paid as much.”

Continuing further, she pledged to extend her support to the victims. “We appreciate you and we love you, and yeah, Stay strong Southern California. Just know I’ll be there to support and donate and help rebuild.” Apart from Coco Gauff, Japanese player Naomi Osaka also paid her tributes. “Hope everyone in LA is staying safe 🙏🏾,” she wrote on X. At the moment, one can only pray that this crisis comes to an end soon.