LONDON (AP) — Morgan Riddle's effect on Wimbledon semifinalist Taylor Fritz's rise in the rankings has been significant. He says so himself.
Riddle has been at the All England Club this year and others in her role as a fashion influencer, telling her hundreds of thousands of social media followers how tennis has become "the chicest sport in the world.” She’s been featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and the New York Times’ Style section.
She was seated at Centre Court on Friday for her boyfriend Fritz’s match against Carlos Alcaraz.
Riddle frequently is at tournaments to cheer for him. They were featured in the Netflix tennis documentary “ Break Point.”
Morgan Riddle went from Minnesota to New York and multiple internships
Riddle, 27, is a Minnesota native who attended Wagner College in New York City.
“By the end of my junior year, I had completed seven internships,” she said in a Wagner College video about the Class of 2019 member.
Riddle explained that the internships included gigs at a magazine, a newspaper, a government office, a coffee company startup and a real estate company, with tasks including social media.
Riddle and Fritz met about five years ago.
Taylor Fritz credits Morgan Riddle's influence
Fritz was the U.S. Open runner-up last September — his first appearance in a Grand Slam final — and reached a career-high ranking of No. 4 in November.
He says it's important to have someone “push you in the right direction all the time, supporting you." He spoke about Riddle's role after his 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) victory over Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals.
“There’s an obvious correlation between my results and ranking and the time we’ve been together,” he said. “I would have to say she’s been a big help to me, just kind of keeping me focused, having someone who cares and just pushes you to just do better and do the right things, be healthier.”
Morgan Riddle promotes fashion and explains ‘tenniscore’
Riddle has worked with the All England Club to create video segments called “Wimbledon Threads.”
Wearing brands such as Chanel and Jimmy Choo, she details trends like “tenniscore.”
“'Tenniscore' isn’t just about pleated skirts and vintage polos. It’s about aspirational minimalism with a competitive edge,” she said in a video last week entitled “ How Wimbledon made tennis chic.”
She added that Wimbledon has “helped tennis become the chicest sport in the world.”
Riddle isn't afraid to throw a few zingers.
“Of course we’re here for the tennis but what was once a strictly sporting event has also turned into a global fashion spectacle. I know some of you may not want to hear that but just because the fact annoys you, doesn’t make it any less true,” she said.
That segment has 12,300 views as of Friday — a different Wimbledon video featuring a kid asking Aryna Sabalenka about pancakes has more than double that.
Riddle's clips on TikTok, where she has nearly 600,000 followers, are more popular. She also has more than 450,000 followers on Instagram.
Fritz often takes photos of her to post on social media.
“I’ve definitely gotten a lot better over the last couple of years but very reluctantly,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press last year. “It’s very embarrassing in public when I’m taking pictures (and) people are looking at me taking pictures of her. But you got to do what you got to do sometimes. She also takes good pictures of me.”
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Ken Maguire, The Associated Press
