Who is Taylor Fritz’s girlfriend? How Morgan Riddle caused controversy before the Wimbledon semi-final

Taylor Fritz defeated number 4 seed Alexander Zverev in the fourth round of Wimbledon, but that wasn’t the headline of the match.

After Fritz, the number 12 seed, won in five sets, the two had a long chat at the net and shook hands. Zverev objected to people cheering in Fritz’s box “who may not come from the tennis world.”

Zverev struggled with an injury throughout the match and seemed to challenge Fritz’s girlfriend with this comment.

“Towards the end, from the fourth and fifth sets onwards, I really had problems with my serve, also with jumping off my leg, generating some power,” said Zverev. “His team is extremely respectful. I think his coach, his physiotherapist, also his second coach, they are extremely respectful.”

“I think there are a few other people in the box who maybe aren’t from the tennis world, who maybe haven’t seen every single match. They overdid it a little bit.”

Fritz’s girlfriend hit back at Zverev on social media in a not-so-subtle way. Here’s who she is and what she said about Zverev.

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Who is Taylor Fritz’s girlfriend?

Fritz’s girlfriend is Morgan Riddle, a social media influencer.

The two have been together since 2020 and met during the peak Covid-19 months in Los Angeles on the exclusive members-only dating app Raya.

“Because it was Covid, no restaurants and no bars were open, so we ordered sushi,” Riddle told People. “We went to his house and I had him watch Midsommar with me, which is the really crazy horror movie.”

Riddle was called “the most famous woman in men’s tennis” by the New York Times.

She has over 322,000 followers on Instagram, 500,000 followers on TikTok and 74,000 subscribers on YouTube. She posts videos about everyday life around tennis and her boyfriend Fritz.

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What did Morgan Riddle say to Alexander Zverev?

After Zverev complained about the excessive cheering from Fritz’s box, Riddle hit back on Instagram. She posted two stories that were deleted shortly afterwards.

Her first post was a picture from the tennis court with the caption, “Cheer loud, girls.” The next was her dance with the caption, “When your man wins the girls.”

Morgan Riddle on Instagram this afternoon as her boyfriend Taylor Fritz beats Alexander Zverev.#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/napGHm8EPR

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) July 8, 2024

Without knowing Zverev’s past, the posts might seem like mild jabs. However, fans were aware of the assault allegations against Zverev, and it seemed like the two Instagram stories had a much deeper message.

Riddle deleted the posts after they sparked controversy in the tennis world, clarifying that her posts had been misunderstood and “blown out of proportion.”

Morgan Riddle posted this retraction today. Given the obvious context of her posts yesterday, one cannot say that her statement is particularly credible. However, it is not surprising that the culture of silence in the ATP surrounding the abuse allegations against Zverev remains incredibly strong. pic.twitter.com/w9dLouqn3X

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) July 9, 2024

Allegations against Alexander Zverev

Zverev was accused of “physically abusing and causing harm to a woman during an argument in Berlin in May 2020,” according to a court document dated October 2023. The woman is the mother of his child.

The German court imposed a fine of $488,000 on Zverev as well as a penalty order, which the star tennis player described as “complete nonsense”.

He eventually agreed to pay $217,820 to “shorten the process, especially in the interest of their child,” his legal team said. Zverev’s settlement does not mean he is guilty in court. He maintained his innocence and was able to avoid a trial.

However, these are not the only allegations Zverev has faced. Olya Sharypova, a former tennis player, said Zverev assaulted her on multiple occasions. She posted her story on Instagram in October 2020 but did not press charges. The ATP hired an outside group to investigate the allegations.

Zverev denied these allegations and the investigation did not result in a penalty for the German tennis player due to “insufficient evidence”.