Viral TikTok videos from star’s girlfriend are tennis’ secret weapon

Taylor Fritz’s girlfriend is doing more than many within tennis to make the sport more appealing and attract a bigger audience.

Taylor Fritz loves that his girlfriend is raising the profile of tennis with her unique use of social media and is hopeful it leads to an increased audience for the sport.

World No. 20 Fritz is dating Morgan Riddle, who went viral last month with a TikTok video documenting her life travelling the world as she follows her boyfriend on tour.

Watch Live Coverage of The 2022 Indian Wells Masters Tennis with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >

Speaking to an audience that might not necessarily include diehard tennis fans, Riddle set out to give people an insight into the sport because, as she said, “I know tennis is relatively uncool and unknown in America”.

Featuring clips taken from tournaments across the globe, both on and off the court, Riddle explained the concept of the four grand slams, the make-up of the ATP tour and how points and rankings systems work.

She also spoke about how hot dogs and beer are often traded for more upmarket delicacies like “champagne and strawberries and cream” as well as the added benefit of “getting to wear really cute outfits”.

Riddle’s viral video — which also shows flashes of private jets and hot spots from some of the world’s most beautiful places — has been viewed more than 3.7 million times and Fritz is right behind her endeavour, not understanding why anyone would have a problem with it.

More power to her, tbh.

(Who’s making the Make Tennis Cool Again hats is all I want to know.) pic.twitter.com/BZkHt2U9S1

— Blair Henley (@BlairHenley) February 12, 2022

“I think what she did was awesome for our sport,” Fritz said earlier this week after a win at Indian Wells. “It got a ton of people looking at it.

“I think you get your typical older fan maybe upset about it. I don’t understand how anyone can get upset about it. I’m the one that’s a professional tennis player, I’m the one that does this for a living. I 100 per cent agree with everything in that video.

“People know a couple, they know what the grand slams are, a couple little things about it, they’re like, ‘What are you talking about?’

“No, tennis isn’t talked about on ESPN unless it’s a very select few or under certain circumstances. You’re never going to hear SportsCentre talk about, ‘Oh, so-and-so American won their match at Monte Carlo’. It’s not popular like that.

“It’s nice to see tennis kind of getting more attention. I thought what she did was awesome.

“Regardless of the reaction people had from it, I think everyone in the tennis community can agree that it’s good for tennis to kind of almost sell it in a different kind of way, that she would know — she knew her audience would react to.”

Riddle has posted many more videos updating her 226,000 TikTok followers on what life is like on tour.

“When you start dating a professional tennis player and literally all you do is travel the world, dress cute, drink champagne, and go to tennis matches,” she wrote in one clip.

In another, she said: “Here’s your sign to start talking to that cute tennis boy.”

Taylor Fritz is making his mark. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

According to the Daily Mail, Riddle and Fritz started dating in 2020. Fritz reached a career-high ranking of No. 16 in February and is being followed around by a Netflix crew filming a documentary series similar to the successful F1 Drive to Survive projects.

Fritz, 24, beat Aussie Alex de Minaur in the third round at Indian Wells on Thursday and will face Miomir Kecmanovic in Saturday’s quarter-final.