Taylor Fritz has one of the most approachable auras in tennis. The American player is currently ranked as the 4th player in the world per ATP rankings, and has a refreshingly unfussy approach to fame and training, often appearing in podcasts and as the recurring focus of his girlfriend, Morgan Riddle, an influencer known for the stylish courtside looks.
In a chat with GQ, Fritz discussed the one hard line he has with Riddle when it comes to social media posting. "Sometimes if it's not a distraction, she'll ask me to do some kind of trend," said Fritz. "Most of the time I’ll be like, ‘That’s kind of cringe. I don’t want to do it.’ ”
“He won’t lip-synch for a video,” Riddle said. “That’s his number one rule.”
“Nooooo chance," said Fritz. "I will see that everywhere on social media.”
The couple has been dating for the past five years, with the two meeting online after Fritz sent her a DM on Instagram. Riddle didn't know of him or tennis, but the two clicked instantly. Months later, once she began going on tour with him, Riddle worked remotely and decided to quit her 9 to 5 job in order to freelance. She struck gold when she began sharing videos of her life as she attended some of Fritz's matches, titling them, "A day in the life of a tennis girlfriend."
“When you start dating a professional tennis player and literally all you do is travel the world, dress cute, drink champagne and go to tennis matches,” reads one of the captions of her TikTok videos.
The couple on the future of tennis
Despite tennis being one of the oldest sports in the world, hosting some of the most prestigious and chic tournaments, Riddle and Fritz argue that the sport is not a favorite amongst young people in the US.
“To be honest with myself, I didn’t even like to watch tennis that much growing up. I just played. Playing tennis, I broke probably every record possible in high school tennis during my freshman year. Nobody cares. Tennis was not cool at all," said Fritz.
Still, they believe the sport is in a good spot culturally, at least for younger audiences.
“Taylor Swift was at his finals match last year,” Riddle says. “The Netflix show, the Challengers movie, every possible brand dropping some sort of tennis line, the tennis culture on TikTok—there’s such a pop culture moment around it. And I think all those factor into making it cooler, per se," said Riddle.