Morgan Riddle, Taylor Fritz's Girlfriend, Clarifies Posts Seemingly Targeted at Zverev

Jul 8, 2024; London,United Kingdom; Taylor Fritz of the United States (right) greets at the net with Alexander Zverev of Germany (left) after their match on day eight of The Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
Jul 8, 2024; London,United Kingdom; Taylor Fritz of the United States (right) greets at the net with Alexander Zverev of Germany (left) after their match on day eight of The Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. / Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

There was quite the tennis controversy online after American Taylor Fritz beat No. 4 Alexander Zverev in an incredible comeback five-set win during Monday's fourth round match at Wimbledon.

The stir began when Zverev seemed to have an extended chat with Fritz at the net after the match ended. Zverev said he was upset with people in Fritz's box who "are not maybe from the tennis world," which many assumed to be a jab at Fritz's girlfriend, Morgan Riddle. Fritz later kept his explanation short about what was said, detailing that he wished Zverev the best after the German appeared to hurt his knee.

However, Riddle seemed to add to the conversation by posting two Instagram stories with the captions "cheer loud ladies" and "when ur man wins 4 the girls." Fans interpreted these posts as commentary on Zverev's domestic abuse allegations from two of his former partners.

Riddle took both the posts down after social media ran with stories about what the posts could mean. She posted a clarification on Instagram on Tuesday.

"I took them down as soon as I realized the misunderstanding and how blown out of proportion they had become by the media," Riddle said. "They were not about anything that's happened off the tennis court [and] there's no bad blood between anyone."

Fritz will face No. 25 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy on Wednesday in order to earn a spot in the semifinals, which will take place on Friday. The men's singles final will be played on Sunday, beginning at 9 a.m. ET.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.