Morgan Riddle and a Wimbledon Feud?
On Monday, Taylor Fritz, the number one American tennis player, triumphed over Alexander Zverev in one of the best matches at Wimbledon so far this year. After coming back from two sets to love down, his five-set victory means that he has progressed to the tournament's quarterfinals for the second time in his career.
But what sparked more discussion was the exchange between the two players at the net after the match finished. At first, it was a standard embrace, shaking hands and offering words of encouragement, but then Zverev pulled Fritz back from walking towards the umpire, and it looked like he had more hostile words to say. Fritz was asked about their conversation in his on-court interview and responded that it was all good-natured, and he wished the best to Zverev and his knee injury.
Daily Mail
In the press conference following, Zverev said: “I think his coach, his physio, also his second coach, they’re extremely respectful. I think there’s some people that maybe are in the box that are not maybe from the tennis world…They were a bit over the top… But I think Taylor is a great guy. I have absolutely no issues with him.” Fritz emphasized that “it was all good” between the two despite online speculation.
Zverev’s comment was seemingly aimed at Fritz’s girlfriend, Morgan Riddle, an influencer and content creator who was coined “the most famous woman in men’s tennis'' by the New York Times last year. Her content has given her an extensive fanbase, and she is certainly the most popular WAG on the tennis tour. On the other hand, she has faced her fair share of criticism and online haters, with many traditional tennis fans believing that influencers have no place in the sport. However, it is undeniable that she has attracted a new audience to tennis, and it only takes a glance at the comments under her YouTube videos to see the number of people who have expressed that they had no interest in the sport until following her. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56LCs5njSYw )
C Magazine
She has skillfully used tennis to further her own career and has succeeded. This is the second year that she is hosting Wimbledon Threads, an original behind-the-scenes series, at the tournament, and she has previously collaborated with brands related to the sport, such as creating tennis-inspired jewelry and fashion pieces. Still, she is a supportive partner who you can often find sitting in Fritz’s player box and dressed impeccably. The “beef” between the two male players gained more traction online after fans highlighted Riddle’s two Instagram stories (now deleted), which seemed to reference Zverev’s recent allegations of domestic abuse.
Zverev was accused of domestically abusing his ex-girlfriend, Brenda Patea, and after a court case, the two settled with a monetary condition of €200,000 ($217,820). This morning, Riddle released a statement stating that her stories had been misunderstood, “blown out of proportion,” and “were not about anything that’s happened off the tennis court.”
As both players did, she clarified that there is “no bad blood between anyone” and that she’s looking forward to the quarterfinal matchup where Fritz will face Lorenzo Musetti. If he wins, it will be the first time he has reached the semifinal at any Grand Slam tournament, so we will definitely be cheering Taylor Fritz on!