Morgan Riddle on Life on the Road With Taylor Fritz

It’s safe to say that the majority of people who tune into the US Open each year watch the matches for the players. Then again, it’s always a fun couple of weeks for anyone who wants to spot celebrities in the crowd too. So what happens when you become known for ATTEND tennis matches rather than playing them? Just ask Morgan Riddle, model, influencer and girlfriend of tennis pro Taylor Fritz (who just reached the quarterfinals of the 2023 US Open).

Since Riddle met Fritz on the dating app Raya in 2020, she has been traveling with him for more than half a year, cheering her on as she creates her own content for YouTube and TikTok, where he has nearly 400,000 followers. He has become a stadium fixture, with fans watching what he wears (his “OOTD” and “Get Ready With Me” videos are some of his most popular) at every game and what which shenanigans she and other WAGS (wives and girlfriends of professional athletes) get into between tournaments.

This year, between attending Fritz’s US Open matches in the Gray Goose box where he estimates there are at least 20 Honey Deuces (the official US Open cocktail), and fittings for New York Fashion Week, Riddle told the Cut all about her on-the-road lifestyle.

New York Times called you are “the most famous woman in men’s tennis.” How do you feel about that?

I am very excited. I mean, it seems crazy. I’d say that’s definitely the biggest thing that’s happened in my career so far. I didn’t think I’d ever be in that situation, so it was pretty cool to see. The writer is very good and I like the way he describes me.

You travel with Taylor to see him play about 35 weeks a year. What are your must-haves for every game?

Yes, I always bring my Canon G7X to vlog for YouTube. I brought my Fenty powder because, like yesterday, it was very hot, I was dripping with sweat, shiny. I always bring my lip gloss with me. And beef sticks, because I’m hungry!

You work in the fashion space, too. When you go to a match do you prefer to dress for style or comfort?

I usually have to figure out the perfect balance in between. Like I said, yesterday was very hot, unbearably hot. So my friend helped me pick out an outfit and I was like, we really need to find something sweatproof because if I wear anything that shows any sweat drops, it’s really gross this. So we just went with this black minidress. I’ll say that I’m always overdressed for matches, which I’m totally fine with and I know people have all kinds of opinions about that, but it’s kind of my Super Bowl, so it’s more fun for me to wear it. I usually go for style over comfort. I bring changes of clothes to the matches.

You’re talking about Taylor meeting Raya in 2020. What’s your best tip for dating-app etiquette?

I think Taylor was only the second guy I met on the app. And to be honest, I usually tell my friends, don’t just show interest in them and they will chase you just because they are boys and that’s how they are. I didn’t seem interested in him at first and I think that made him more interested. I think people always want what they can’t have! I would say don’t talk too long in the app. Like, I’m not going back and forth with him, I’m just waiting for him to actually ask to be with me in person.

Are you? play tennis?

I’m trying! I was a theater and speech and debate kid when I was in high school so I wasn’t athletic by any means and my coordination was pretty terrible. But I did lessons. Taylor tries to teach me a little — that usually ends in a fight. [Laughs.] But I can say that I enjoy watching the sport more than I enjoy playing it.

What is your favorite part of the game when you watch?

Now, because I’ve been on tour for three years, I know the game. Before the matches Taylor told me, “This is the way I play now. I hit this guy’s backhand because his backhand is weaker and I try to avoid the forehand because he always goes cross-court with the forehand. He does an in-depth analysis of how his strategy works for the game. And now during the game, I saw him execute that and really understood what was going on. While maybe the first year, I’m not sure, I don’t really know what happened.

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

When you’re not traveling for a tournament, do you have any rules or rituals you follow at home to get back to feeling normal?

Absolutely not. I think the normal in our life is that there is not normality. If we’re in LA for more than two weeks, I’m really restless and kind of bored and I’m like, I don’t need to pack for anything? What? When we came home, he was a big video-game player, so he would play video games. I will try to see my friends in LA that I usually don’t get to spend much time with during the year. We watch a lot of anime before going to bed.

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

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

Do you have a signature meal or cocktail that you like to serve when you have people over for dinner?

Here’s the thing: I don’t cook. I don’t know if I’ve bought groceries – and I’m not exaggerating – legitimately in a year. It’s not my thing. I order a lot of food so I like to attend dinner parties, I would say, but my favorite drink is an overly dirty martini. I’m a big fan of a Gray Goose martini. If I have dinner, that’s probably what I do.

How many Honey Deuces do you think you consumed at this year’s US Open?

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

Do you make it at home?

I really did! My friend Madi and I made them a week before the US Open. She created an Instagram Reel for her page because she has a lot of recipe videos. So we made it with raspberry Poppi instead of raspberry liqueur. And it is Granted good.

I saw something on your TikTok that you sometimes foster kittens. What is your No. 1 rule if you have a pet at home?

Give them lots of love! That’s my issue, though — I don’t know how I can own an animal because when we’re petting, I’m so worried about them and attached to them, I don’t leave the house. My friends would say, “Do you want to go to dinner tonight?” I say, “Excuse me, I have to hold a kitten! I can’t do it!” And when I leave for an hour, I text Taylor all the time: How are the kids?! I hope that’s something we can do again soon.

Do you think it is fair to hold a seat for someone, such as at a tennis match or sporting event?

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

You mentioned that Taylor explained his strategy to you before playing a match. Do you have your own pre-match rituals?

I’m incredibly superstitious. There are other people in his team who are more superstitious than me. Like his coach’s wife, her name is Lily. He always wears black to match with us because he is super superstitious about it. I talked about this in a story a few weeks ago, there was a tournament that he won called Indian Wells, and it was the biggest tournament that he won. I wore his socks the whole tournament. I thought about doing that again.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

One thing I tell people is, to find success, I have to double my failure rate. That’s something I struggled with before doing social media professionally, when I was working in a corporation until about a year and a half ago. The biggest difference between doing corporate and doing social media is that if I fail at a corporate job, the only person who sees it or knows about it is probably my boss, and that, of course, is frustrating, but if you fail socially. media, it is there for all to see. I always tell myself that little piece of advice: You will fail, people will see it, it will happen. Another thing I say is, miss the top if you don’t send the elevator down.