Morgan Riddle, a prominent fashion influencer and the girlfriend of tennis star Taylor Fritz, issued a statement on Tuesday addressing the viral reaction to her Instagram posts following Fritz’s dramatic five-set comeback victory over Alexander Zverev in the fourth round at Wimbledon.
Riddle had posted two updates during and after the match that quickly gained widespread attention.
The first post, made during the match, featured a picture of Fritz on the court with the caption, “cheer loud ladies.” The second post, shared after Fritz’s victory, included a video of Riddle celebrating and the caption, “when ur man wins 4 the girls.”
Many on social media interpreted these posts as references to the domestic abuse allegations against Zverev made by two of his former partners.
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Recognizing the escalating controversy, Riddle deleted both posts by Monday night.
On Tuesday, she clarified her intentions in an Instagram story, explaining that her posts were misinterpreted and not intended to comment on Zverev’s personal issues. “I took them down as soon as I realized the misunderstanding and how blown out of proportion they had become by the media,” Riddle wrote. “They were not about anything that’s happened off the tennis court [and] there’s no bad blood between anyone.”
The tension between Fritz and Zverev wasn’t limited to social media. Immediately following their match, Zverev confronted Fritz at the net for an extended conversation. Later, Zverev explained to reporters that he was upset by some of the cheering from Fritz’s player box during the match, particularly as he was visibly struggling with an injury. Riddle was seated in Fritz’s box throughout the match.
“Towards the end, I mean, I thought from the fourth and fifth set, I was really struggling to serve, as well, to jump off on my leg, to create some power,” Zverev said. “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.”
Fritz downplayed the incident, describing their exchange at the net and Zverev’s complaints as “no big deal” and reassured that “it’s all good.” Fritz’s focus now shifts to his upcoming match against Lorenzo Musetti on Wednesday, where he aims to advance to the first major semifinal of his career.
As the drama surrounding Riddle’s posts settles, the spotlight remains firmly on Fritz’s performance at Wimbledon.
Both he and Riddle hope to move past the controversy and concentrate on the challenges ahead, underscoring the high-stakes nature of Grand Slam tennis and the intense scrutiny that comes with it.
