Morgan Riddle, girlfriend of Taylor Fritz, has shared her experiences of facing hostility from certain segments of the tennis community.
Riddle, who frequently accompanies Fritz to tournaments globally, has established herself as a familiar presence at these events. Leveraging her status as a social media influencer, the 26-year-old has actively promoted tennis through captivating content across multiple platforms, aiming to enhance the sport’s visibility and appeal.
Despite receiving admiration from numerous fans, Morgan Riddle has encountered backlash, online harassment, and negative feedback from what she has characterized as the “older, more misogynistic” faction of the tennis fan base, whom she had aimed to engage positively.
In a recent interview on the ‘Sportsish’ podcast, Riddle openly addressed the animosity she has faced within the tennis community, where some individuals perceive her as a detriment to the sport.
“At 35:58, Riddle expressed, ‘Some people in the tennis community like hate me, hate me, hate me. They just think I’m the worst thing to ever happen to the sport which is fine.’
However, she also emphasized the supportive community she has built by addressing a previously unrecognized demand. ‘But then, on the other side of it, I do have a very strong community in the tennis community.
Like, it definitely took time but I also think because I was the first person to offer that perspective of the tour and it was something that now I know people had just been waiting for, maybe they didn’t even know that they wanted that side of it,’ she explained.”
Riddle further highlighted the strength of her support network within the tennis community, stating, “But I have a great community in the tennis community. There’s so many of them that are so supportive of everything that I do.”
She then underscored her groundbreaking collaborations with tournaments in an official capacity, such as her role as the host for ‘Wimbledon Threads,’ the official lifestyle and fashion series of the prestigious grasscourt Major.
Furthermore, Riddle revealed ongoing discussions with Wimbledon regarding the possibility of continuing her involvement in a new capacity. “And me working with the tournaments on an official capacity, that was a big deal for a partner to do that.
And people were so supportive of it in a lot of ways. It’s great,” she expressed. “I don’t know if we’re going to do it again this year just because, we would have to figure out a different angle for it but we’re talking about it so we’ll figure out something for this year. So, I’m excited,” she added.
Taylor Fritz is set to face Tommy Paul in the final of the Delray Beach Open.
Taylor Fritz, the top seed and defending champion at the 2024 Delray Beach Open, has secured his spot in the final after defeating notable opponents such as Nuno Borges, Rinky Hijikata, and Marcos Giron.
In the highly anticipated title clash, Fritz will face off against Tommy Paul, another formidable American player.
Originally scheduled for Sunday, February 18, the singles and doubles finals were postponed to Monday due to adverse weather conditions.
Fritz and Paul have previously met four times, with their head-to-head record tied at 2-2. Notably, Paul emerged victorious in their most recent encounter at the 2023 Acapulco semifinal, triumphing in a closely contested match with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-7(2), 7-6(2).
