It’s not just the wives and players of football players who are put under the media spotlight during big sporting events – tennis WAGs are becoming increasingly well-known.
And with the most prestigious tennis tournament – Wimbledon – well underway, this group of glamorous women are making headlines.
None more so than Morgan Riddle, 26, the influencer girlfriend of 13th-seeded player Taylor Fritz, who will play Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in tomorrow’s quarter-final at SW19.
Morgan, who has more than 318,000 followers on Instagram, and nearly 500,000 on TikTok, was once branded the ‘most famous woman in men’s tennis’, by the New York Times. The glamorous social media star, who has also been referred to as the ‘first lady of tennis’, is said to have met Taylor on members only dating app Raya in 2020.
And she has been at the centre of controversy during this year’s Wimbledon, making headlines following her beau’s Monday match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev -prompting some to speculate that she may overshadow her famous player boyfriend.
Tennis WAG Morgan Riddle (pictured) is the partner of US player Taylor Fritz and a social media influencer (pictured attending day two of Royal Ascot last month)
The WAG (pictured attending day eight of the 2024 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in January) was once branded the ‘most famous woman in men’s tennis’, by the New York Times
13-seeded Taylor was two sets down to World No 4 Alexander when he pulled off the stunning comeback that put him through to the quarter-finals.
Among Taylor’s very enthusiastic supporters was his girlfriend Morgan.
However, Alexander Zverev accused members of his opponent’s box of going ‘over the top’ during the tumultuous match.
Notably, Morgan Riddle appeared to take aim at the world No 4, who has faced allegations of abuse.
The German, who was last year accused in court documents of physically abusing a woman in 2020, agreed to a settlement in the case last month.
He agreed to pay Brenda Patea, the mother of his child, $217,820, but was found not guilty of any wrongdoing (Patea publicly identified herself as the victim in the case).
Morgan, who has 17.2million likes on TikTok, posted a video to her Instagram stories that showed her enjoying a drink with the caption ‘when your man wins 4 the girls.’ The story now appears to have been deleted.
Earlier, while the match was unfolding, Morgan also posted a picture of the court to her story and wrote, ‘cheer loud ladies.’ That post also appears to have been taken down.
Morgan Riddle and Taylor Fritz (both pictured) have been dating since 2020, allegedly meeting via the members-only dating app Raya
GLAMOROUS: Morgan shares behind-the-scenes glimpses into life as a tennis WAG on tour on her social media accounts
Her Instagram Stories now show the content creator appearing to be at the All England Club in southwest London meeting a bird of prey called Rufus (used by the venue to get rid of pigeons) and a security dog called Flo, who Morgan branded a ‘very important employee’ of the grounds.
After the five-set match, Taylor and Alexander had a tense exchange at the net, during which the German appeared to share some harsh words with his opponent.
He said afterwards that he was upset with some people in Taylor’s box who ‘may not be from the tennis world’.
He explained: ‘His team is extremely respectful. I think his coach, his physio, also his second coach, they’re extremely respectful.
‘I think there’s some other people that maybe are in the box that are not maybe from the tennis world, that are not maybe from particularly watching every single match. They were a bit over the top.’
Last October, the Berlin-Tiergarten court issued a penalty order and a fine of around $488,000 against Zverev, who has denied Patea’s claims of abuse. He called the order ‘complete bulls***’ a month later.
Morgan Riddle courted some controversy after appearing to take aim at Alexander Zverev after he lost to Taylor Fritz yesterday, in an Instagram Story which is no longer live (pictured)
Patea told German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung that Zverev choked her during an argument. Zverev has also been accused of domestic abuse by Olga Sharypova, a fellow tennis player and another ex-girlfriend of his.
Sharypova made the allegations – also denied by Zverev – in 2020, accusing him of punching her in the face and smothering her with a pillow.
The ATP investigated the claims (via an outside firm) for 15 months but ultimately did not discipline Zverev on the basis of insufficient evidence.
Following his settlement in June, Zverev said ‘I told you so from the start, I told everybody. I’m happy that it’s over. Yeah, nothing else more to say.’
After beating Zverev 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-3, Fritz will face Lorenzo Musetti with a chance to make his first Grand Slam semifinal.
The 26-year-old Taylor and Morgan have been dating for the past four years, with the latter establishing herself as a prominent social media content creator.
In her Instagram bio, the tennis WAG describes herself as ‘not cool’ then adds ‘but my outfits are’.
Her interest in clothes has formed a cornerstone of her appearance at Wimbledon: after making a name for herself as a fashion guru, she is hosting a social media series called Wimbledon Threads.
The social media clips, which are posted on the tournament’s official account, feature Morgan interviewing fans at the notoriously glamorous event about their outfits.
As far back as 2022, Morgan was described by some reports as the ‘new Queen bee’ of Wimbledon WAGs thanks to her glamorous clothes and social media content creation.
She was already then known for using TikTok and Instagram to document private jet flights, beach holidays, city shopping trips, and courtside seats as she travelled around the world supporting her sports star beau.
The blonde beauty is of Polish descent but grew up in Minnesota. She spends most of her time in California, but also shares a home in Midtown Miami with Taylor (who shares a son with ex-wife Raquel Pedraza) where they stay when not in Los Angeles, or travelling around Europe for tournaments.
COUPLE: Morgan Riddle and Taylor Fritz, the world No. 14 in tennis, have been a couple for four years
The social media star (pictured) has amassed some 318,000 followers on Instagram thanks to sharing her insights as a tennis WAG
Morgan studied at New York City’s Wagner College, graduating in 2019 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English Language and Literature.
After school, she landed a job as a media director at an apparel brand in Minneapolis called Love Your Melon, while also covering entertainment news and giving lifestyle tips as an on-air host for the popular YouTube account Hollywire.
She then started working at the digital marketing agency MuteSix as an influencer campaign manager before moving to Gamers Outreach – a nonprofit organization that provides entertainment to hospitalized families through video games – in July 2021.
Since she started dating Taylor in 2020, Morgan has grown her social media presence (notably on TikTok and Instagram) by sharing her popular content chronicling her travels, fashion, lifestyle, and her experiences on the professional tennis circuit.
Among her videos and images, are those providing insights into the world of professional tennis – from her unique perspective as a tennis WAG.
She has been credited with helping to bring tennis to a wider and younger audience thanks to her social media posts, which share both the fun and more challenging aspects of life as a WAG on tour.
Morgan Riddle (pictured while attending day eight of Wimbledon on Monday) is a major fashion fan as well as a tennis aficionado
Morgan Riddle (pictured) watches boyfriend Taylor Fritz on day eight of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Club
Germany player Alexander Zverev accused some people in Taylor Fritz’s support team of going ‘a bit over the top’ (Morgan pictured during the match on Monday)
Tennis fan and social media star Morgan (pictured) looked intense as she cheered on her boyfriend during his match
Taylor Fritz and Alexander Zverev (both pictured) had a tense exchange at the net after the match finished
Besides giving insight into what her life as a professional athlete’s girlfriend entails, Morgan is a huge tennis fan and also always makes sure to show her support for her boyfriend and the sport online.
And while, as a person in the public eye, she has inevitably come under fire for several things, including being accused of ‘over dressing’ while attending sports events, she still enjoys sharing behind-the-scenes information with her fans.
In a recent video she made as part of her Wimbledon Threads series, Morgan described a day in the life of a player at the tournament.
Over video footage, she said: ‘For a player at Wimbledon, the day starts here, tournament cars drop you off, and you walk under the ground to the Players’ Lounge and the players’ restaurant.’
She added: ‘Behind me, they’ve got a nail salon, a hair salon and a little coffee bar. I’ve been trying to get Taylor to get a haircut there for ages.
‘They have a hawk on the grounds that keeps the pigeons away, which I’m sad about, because I really love pigeons.’
After sharing footage of previous victorious players lifting their winner’s trophy, she added ‘and this is where the magic happens’, before opening the doors to the tennis courts.
Morgan has previously spoken out about being a tennis WAG, notably in a TikTok made a couple of years ago, which garnered more than a million views.
In it, she said: ‘I’m Morgan, I travel the world on the ATP tour with my boyfriend, who is the number one American tennis player.
In her Instagram bio, Morgan (pictured at the All England Club this year) says she is ‘not cool’, but says her outfits are
The WAG is often snapped wearing daring ensembles as she attends various sporting events (pictured attending the Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team 2024 Livery Reveal in February)
Morgan, who previously acknowledged that ‘tennis is relatively uncool and unknown in America’ wants to help bring the sport to the masses
CHIC: Thanks to touring with her athlete partner, Morgan enjoys many lavish experiences – which she shares with her fans on social media
‘I know that tennis is relatively uncool and unknown in America, so here’s what you should know.
‘Unlike most sports, tennis is a year-round sport except for four weeks off in December.
‘Players compete in tournaments in 31 countries in cities like Dubai, Paris, Shanghai, London, Rome, Cabo, and many more.
‘What are they playing for? Besides glory and hundreds of millions of dollars in prize money, players are competing for points. Each tournament gives a certain amount of points and the better you do, the more points you get.
‘The more points you have, the higher your ranking is. And your ranking basically refreshes every year. No pressure.
‘Tennis tournaments are not your casual sporting event with hot dogs and beer, you can expect champagne, strawberries and cream, Nobu, and getting to wear really cute outfits.’
While Morgan’s content is typically upbeat, sharing her love of tennis and fashion, earlier this year, she opened up about her ‘scary’ experience at the Super Bowl after being ‘groped’ and ‘harassed’ by male NFL fans.
The influencer revealed that she had an ‘extremely stressful’ time at Allegiant Stadium.
As a woman in the public eye, Morgan has faced criticism for a number of things, including some accusing her of ‘over dressing’ when she attends sports events
DRESSED UP: Morgan dons a chic little black dress, heels, and sunglasses while attending a tennis match
Morgan (pictured) who is currently hosting social media series Wimbledon Threads,i s a huge tennis fan and also always makes sure to show her support for her boyfriend and the sport online
Morgan (pictured) who has been described as the ‘first lady of tennis’ by some, is considered one of the most glamorous WAGs on the scene
Riddle detailed her traumatic ordeal on Instagram after the game between the Chiefs and 49ers admitting it caused her to have a panic attack in the restroom during the third quarter.
‘Wasn’t going to post about this but I actually think it’s important to,’ she wrote. ‘I can’t believe the levels of harassment we dealt with this weekend from men.
‘In the last 3 days I’ve been grabbed, gropped (sic), harassed, cat called incessantly – basically every few minutes when we were out in public. And it was really bad at the game today.
‘We couldn’t even enjoy the game without getting bothered by drunk, rude, gross male fans. It’s extremely stressful and scary.’
She appears to have had a much better time at Wimbledon, especially following her boyfriend’s amazing win on Monday. She is expected to next take to the spectator box on Wednesday, to watch his quarter final-match.
