Morgan Riddle on life on the road with Taylor Fritz

Photo Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Courtesy of Gray Goose

It’s safe to say that the majority of people who watch the US Open every year will be watching the players’ matches. On the other hand, it’s always a fun few weeks for anyone who likes to spot celebrities in the crowd. So what happens when you become known? participate Tennis games instead of playing them? Ask Morgan Riddle, model, influencer and girlfriend of tennis pro Taylor Fritz (who recently made it to the quarterfinals at the 2023 US Open).

Since Riddle met Fritz on the dating app Raya in 2020, she has been on the road with him for more than half a year, cheering him on in the crowd while creating her own content for YouTube Tick ​​tock, where she has almost 400,000 followers. She’s become a fixture at the stadium, with fans watching to see what she’ll wear to each game (her “OOTD” and “Get Ready With Me” videos are among her most popular) and what she and the others’ shenanigans will do WAGS (wives and girlfriends of professional athletes) will join in between tournaments.

This year, between attending Fritz’s US Open matches at the Gray Goose Box, where she estimated she drank at least 20 Honey Deuces (the official US Open cocktail), and fitting for New York Fashion Week, Riddle said the cut everything about her lifestyle on the go.

The New York Just called You are “the most famous woman in men’s tennis.” How did that make you feel?

I was super excited. I mean, it’s crazy. I would say this is definitely the greatest thing that has happened to me in my career so far. I didn’t think I would ever be in this situation, so it’s really cool to see. The author was so amazing and I love the way she portrayed me.

They travel with Taylor to see him play about 35 weeks a year. What are your must-haves that you bring to every game?

Yes, I always bring my Canon G7X with me when vlogging on YouTube. I bring my Fenty powder because like yesterday it was so hot, I was sweating and shiny. I usually bring my lip gloss with me. And beef sticks because I’m getting hungry!

You also work in fashion. When you go to a game, do you prefer to dress stylishly or comfortably?

I usually have to find the perfect balance between them. As I said, yesterday it was super hot, just unbearably hot. So my friend helped me choose an outfit and I thought, we really need to find something that’s sweat proof because if I wear something that has even a drop of sweat showing on it, it’s going to be really bad. So we just went with this black mini dress. I would say I pretty much consistently overdress at games, which I’m totally fine with and I know people have different opinions on that, but it’s kind of my Super Bowl so I find it more fun to dress up for it . I usually prefer style over comfort. I bring outfit changes to the games.

They’ve talked about meeting Taylor on Raya in 2020. What’s your best tip for etiquette on dating apps?

I think Taylor was only the second guy I ever met on the app. And to be honest, I usually tell my friends: just don’t show interest in them and they’ll chase you, just because they’re men and all. I was a bit indifferent to him at first and I think that piqued his interest a bit. I guess people always want what they can’t have! I would say don’t talk for too long on the app. I wouldn’t go back and forth with him, I was just waiting for him to actually ask to be with him in person.

Do you play Tennis?

I’ll try it! When I was in high school, I was a kid who loved acting, giving speeches, and debating. That’s why I’m not athletic in any way and my coordination skills are pretty bad. But I have taken some lessons. Taylor tries to teach me a little – it usually ends in an argument. [Laughs.] But I would say that I enjoy watching the sport more than playing it.

What part of the game do you enjoy watching the most?

Now that I’ve been on the tour for three years, I know the game really well. Before the games, Taylor will tell me: “That’s how I’m going to play the game today. I’m going to hit this guy’s backhand because his backhand is weaker, and I’m going to try to avoid the forehand because he always goes forehand down the court. He does a really thorough analysis of his strategy for the game. And now, during the game, I can see him execute that and really understand what’s happening. While I was probably unsure the first year, I had absolutely no idea what was going on.

I don’t think it’s as fun to watch if you don’t understand the scoring, the scoring and the strategy behind what the players are doing. Now, when he plays the game, I can also see what strategy his opponent is using against him.

Morgan Riddle at the US Open 2023.
Photo: Courtesy of Gray Goose

When you’re not traveling to a tournament, are there any rules or rituals you follow at home to get back to normal?

Not really. I think the normality in our lives is that it is like this NO Normality. When we’re home in LA for more than two weeks, I get really restless and bored and think: I don’t have to pack for anything? What? When we go home, he’s a big video game player, so he’ll play a lot of video games. I’m going to try to meet my friends in LA who I don’t usually have much time with during the year. We watch a lot of anime before bed.

If you were having a dinner party with anyone in the world, who would you invite?

I would go with Margot Robbie because I’m really obsessed with her right now. I would go with David Bowie because he has always been one of my favorite music artists. I would have Roger Federer. Paris Hilton, because I just read her memoirs and I think she’s an absolutely fascinating person. And Princess Diana.

Do you have a special dish or cocktail that you like to serve when you invite people over for a dinner party?

So the thing is: I don’t cook. I don’t know if I’ve actually bought groceries in a year – and I’m not exaggerating. That’s not my thing. I order a lot of food, so I prefer going to dinner parties, I would say, but my favorite drink by far is a particularly dirty martini. I’m a big fan of a Gray Goose Martini. If I were hosting a dinner party, I would probably do this.

How many Honey Deuces do you think you drank at the US Open this year?

It depends on how well Taylor does, and since he made it to the quarterfinals, it’s maybe 20. I’m not kidding! You are so good. They are so refreshing when it’s hot.

Do you ever make them at home?

I actually did that! My friend Madi and I made them a week before the US Open. She created an Instagram Reel for her page because she does a lot of recipe videos. So we made it with raspberry poppi instead of the raspberry liqueur. And it was Really Good.

I saw on your TikTok that you sometimes groom kitten. What is your #1 rule when it comes to having a pet at home?

Give them lots of love! That’s my problem though – I don’t even know how I could actually own an animal because when we take them in I’m so worried about them and so attached to them that I don’t leave the house. My friends will ask, “Do you want to come to dinner tonight?” I’m like, “I’m sorry, I have to cuddle a kitten! I can’t!” And when I go away for an hour, I text Taylor the whole time: How are the babies?! I hope we can do this again soon.

Do you think it’s fair to give someone a seat, for example at a tennis match or sporting event?

Yes I do. And at the US Open, you pay per assigned seat. So it’s fair!

You mentioned that Taylor explains his strategy to you before he plays a game. Do you have your own pre-game rituals?

I’m not particularly superstitious. There are other people on his team who are more superstitious than me. Like his trainer’s wife, her name is Lily. She always wears black, which suits us, because she is very superstitious about it. I talked about this for a story a few weeks ago, there was a tournament called Indian Wells that he won and it was the biggest tournament he ever won. I wore his socks throughout the tournament. I’ve been thinking about doing this again.

What is the best advice you have ever received?

One thing I tell people is that in order to be successful, I have to double my failure rate. This is something I struggled with before I got into social media professionally, when I worked at a company until about a year and a half ago. The biggest difference between corporate and social media is that if I fail at a corporate job, the only person who really sees it or knows about it might be my boss, and of course that’s frustrating, but when you fail on social media Media, it is visible to everyone. I always have to tell myself this little piece of advice: You will fail, people will see it, it will happen. The other thing I want to say is that it’s lonely at the top unless you send the elevator back down.