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Tennis great Pam Shriver reunited with stolen trophies taken while evacuating Los Angeles wildfires

Tennis legend Pam Shriver has finally been reunited with her stolen trophies. 

The Hall of Fame tennis pro confirmed on social media that several pieces of hardware and sentimental items were returned to her by the Los Angeles Police Department after they were stolen, along with her car, while she was staying in a hotel after evacuating her home because of the devastating wildfires. 

"Good news on my trophies (& family photos) – the LAPD detective in charge of the investigation has them at the police station being fingerprinted," she said in a post on X this week. 

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"It’s too long a story for a post. We still hope to find black Dodge Durango Hellcat in one piece." 

Shriver, who won 21 Grand Slam doubles championships, told The Associated Press that she had loaded up her vehicle with some of her personal belongings, including her trophies and some family photos, before evacuating the area. 

While staying at a hotel, her car – and everything inside – was taken. 

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"The trophies were buried in the back of the car. You couldn’t look in the window and see them," she said. "I don’t think they were of any good to the people who took the car. So they ended up returning them."

The trophies were later dropped off at the hotel, where a detective picked them up to be fingerprinted. 

"Then the trophies were released to me," she said. "I regained custody."

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According to ESPN, security camera footage revealed that a person driving a car that "fit" the description of Shriver’s stolen Dodge Durango Hellcat was seen dropping off the trophies. 

Among the trophies returned to Shriver included five that she had one for winning the U.S. Open women's doubles event and the four French Open doubles trophies she had won alongside Martina Navratilova. Shriver won 20 of 21 titles with Navratilova. 

Shriver said she returned to find that her home had, thankfully, not been damaged by the wildfires, but she wonders where her belongings had traveled.

"It was an interesting chapter. I wish the trophies could talk," she said. "I would like to have known where they’ve been."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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The post VIDEO: Novak Djokovic Booed by Australian Fans at Australian Open After Injury Withdrawal appeared first on Breitbart.

Coco Gauff pays tribute to TikTok at Australian Open, sees silver lining

Coco Gauff celebrated her Australian Open victory over Belinda Bencic with a nod to TikTok as the popular app was made unavailable for Americans back home.

Gauff wrote on a camera lens "RIP TikTok USA" with a broken heart after defeating Bencic, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 to move to the quarterfinals of the first Grand Slam event of the season. Gauff had more than 750,000 followers before the app was cut off.

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"I could not access it after my match. I honestly thought I would be able to get away with it because I was in Australia," she told reporters after the match, via ESPN. "Hopefully it comes back.... It's really sad. I've been on the app since it was called Musical.ly. 

"I love TikTok. It's like an escape. I honestly do that before matches. I guess it will force me to read books more – be more of a productive human, probably. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise."

TikTok was officially made unavailable to American users late Saturday night. Anyone with the app was hit with a message that read, "Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now.

"A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.

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"We are fortunate President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!"

On the eve of his inauguration, President-elect Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday that he would sign an executive order to extend the time for when the ban goes into effect.

"I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security," he wrote. "The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.

"Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations."

Trump added that he wanted the U.S. to have a "50% ownership position in a joint venture."

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Tennis great Pam Shriver reveals Grand Slam trophies, car stolen after evacuating from wildfires

Former tennis star Pam Shriver revealed Saturday she had Grand Slam trophies and her vehicle stolen after she evacuated her home due to the wildfires that have devastated Los Angeles.

Shriver told FOX 11 Los Angeles she evacuated from Brentwood to a hotel in Marina Del Ray as the Palisades Fire broke out nearly two weeks ago. She offered a grim view on how she’s feeling about the city in wake of all the chaos that has broken out.

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"Right now in LA it’s tough to feel safe based on natural disasters, fires, crime," she said. "I spent the first 38 years in Baltimore. Since then, I spent 30 years here. I’m thinking about what’s my next community where I’m gonna feel safe."

Shriver explained to KTLA on Friday she was trying to get back into a "normal routine" when she noticed her Dodge Durango was missing.

She said the trophies happened to be in the back of the SUV.

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"For people who are doing this, like come on man," she told the station. "We gotta come together. We gotta do things like the way you see people donating, the way you see the first responders, how they’re pushing through this. Let’s all feel a sense of community and help the people of Altadena and Pacific Palisades. Come on, let’s do the right thing.

"This is not the time to give people even more stress or more worry and more lack of confidence."

Looting has been a major issue as firefighters work to contain the infernos. Authorities have arrested at least a dozen people in connection with looting and arson.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for looting in fire evacuation zones to be a felony after prosecutors in Southern California urged him to issue harsher penalties, Fox News Digital previously reported.

"Preying on people at their most vulnerable is despicable, these criminals are among the worst kinds," Newsom said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Thursday afternoon. 

Newsom said "looting has never been legal here" and that "it will not be tolerated" as the state continues to battle the ravenous inferno that broke out on Jan. 7.

Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.

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American tennis star Taylor Fritz pledges to donate Australian Open prize money to LA wildfires relief fund

American tennis star Taylor Fritz is the latest athlete to contribute to the relief funds for the wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area. 

Fritz, 27, said on Thursday that he is donating the prize money he earned for his first-round victory at the Australian Open – about $82,000 – toward the relief funds.

"I mean, I feel like it’s really the least I can do," Fritz said.

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Fritz was born in Rancho Santa Fe, California, and is still based in the state. 

"Obviously, ‘SoCal’ has been my home forever. I still spend a lot of time in LA, but I lived in LA 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," Fritz said after reaching the third round at Melbourne Park with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 victory over qualifier Cristian Garín of Chile.

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

Authorities have not determined a cause for the major blazes in what is on track to become the nation’s costliest fire disaster, with at least 27 people dead and thousands of homes destroyed.

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Fritz is not the only tennis player with connections to the Los Angeles area who is competing at the Australian Open. 

Naomi Osaka, a four-time major champion, said she sent someone to retrieve her 1 ½ year-old daughter’s birth certificate from their California home in case it got caught up in the fires.

Tristan Boyer, a 23-year-old from California, who had a first-round win but lost Thursday, said his father had to evacuate their house in Altadena.

"We have friends and family who are homeless now. It’s really, really devastating to see," Boyer said. "Obviously, trying to do what I need to do to prep and play tennis, but control what I can control in this moment. But it’s hard for sure."

Fritz, the No. 4 ranked player in the tournament, will take on Gaël Monfils on Saturday for a berth in the fourth round, but his mind will still be on what is happening back home. 

"I just want everyone to obviously stay safe," Fritz said. 

"It's just insane what happened."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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American tennis pro Danielle Collins thanks Australian Open fans for ‘paying my bills’ after getting heckled

American tennis pro Danielle Collins isn’t making any new friends in Australia this week, and she’s fine with that. 

Collins, a finalist in the 2022 Australian Open, advanced to the third round of this year’s Grand Slam after defeating Australia’s own Destanee Aiava on Tuesday, but her victory was met with a harsh reaction by the home crowd. 

After dealing with the crowd’s boos for most of the match, Collins blew kisses to fans and egged them on as soon as she won match point. 

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"It was a tough crowd and I just figured if I’m going to be out here, I better take home that bigger paycheck," Collins said after the match in an on-court interview.  "So yeah, thanks for the paycheck Australia." 

"It’s a pretty amazing feeling as an athlete because the people that dislike you or hate you pay your bills," she continued. "So that’s a really rewarding feeling to be out here, and it just feels like a really great day." 

Collins defeated Aiava 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-2 across a nearly 2 1/2 hour match. 

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During her post game presser with the media, Collins doubled down on her reaction to the crowd, adding that the "energy" of fans motivates her – regardless of who they cheer for. 

"One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is the people that don’t like you and the people that hate you, they actually pay your bills. It’s kind of a cool concept… I just remind myself every day when I have that kind of stuff, they’re paying my bills. Every person that’s bought a ticket to come out here and heckle me or do what they do, it’s all going toward the Danielle Collins’ fund." 

Collins quipped that she likes to take "five-star vacations" with her friends, and that her earnings from the Australian Open will go toward their next trip. 

"We like boats – we like big boats. We like yachts. We’ll post about it and let you guys know how it goes."

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Coco Gauff delivers 6-word message for those dealing with LA wildfires after Australian Open win

American tennis star Coco Gauff sent a message to Los Angeles residents dealing with the devastating wildfires plaguing the area over the last week.

Gauff defeated Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of the Australian Open on Sunday. She then wrote some words of encouragement on the camera lens near the court.

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"Stay strong LA," she wrote. "Thank you firefighters!"

The blazes in Los Angeles have killed at least two dozen people, with the death toll expected to rise each day.

Gauff is looking for her second career Grand Slam title after winning the WTA Finals in November. Her best finish at the Australian Open came last year when she reached the semifinals. However, she lost to Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.

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The 2023 U.S. Open winner wore a Marvel-inspired bodysuit and skirt as she cruised to the win over Kenin.

"I knew going in it was going to be difficult, but you know I’m happy with how I played," she said of the one-hour, 20-minute win over Kenin, who at No. 81 is a much tougher opponent than her ranking suggests.

"I mean (I) could serve better, but like on that side I was struggling to see the ball," Guaff said, pointing to one baseline on the main show court that was bathed in sun. "So I’m just happy that I was able to manage through that."

Gauff will play Jodie Burrage in the next round. 

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