1/7
The current best US player: Taylor Fritz.
Sven Micossereporter sports
For decades, the USA was one of the most renowned tennis nations. Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Andy Roddick – the list goes on and on. But the fat years are over for men. A big name that outshines everything is missing.
Now the hopes are on Taylor Fritz (25, ATP 9). “In the USA, you’re used to having the best in every category,” he says about the difficult mission to Blick. “We’ve always had someone who is number 1 in something. When we watch the Olympics, we always watch those who win a gold medal. I think the American sports fan is pretty spoiled with seeing people win.”
Fritz pushes into the limelight. Because he shows strong performances – but also because he brings back the glamor factor.
Girlfriend Morgan Riddle is the perfect outsider ambassador
One of the reasons for this is called Morgan Riddle (25). Fritz’ girlfriend has blossomed into a tennis influencer in recent years. She shares life on tour with her followers in all its luxurious and exhausting facets. As an outsider, she is the perfect ambassador for anyone unfamiliar with tennis. “Any sport is expensive, but the cost of tennis is astronomical. It’s not that accessible in a lot of places in the US,” Riddle told Blick.
This is break point
After the streaming giant Netflix was able to generate enthusiasm among Formula 1 fans, the makers of the “Drive to Survive” series are now replacing the racetrack with the tennis court. The biggest stars of the WTA and ATP tour were accompanied by cameras throughout the 2022 season. The actors’ private moments should not be neglected either. According to the production team, the focus of the series is less on the experienced stars like Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic and more on the up-and-coming youngsters like Carlos Alcaraz or Félix Auger-Aliassime. The series will be broadcast in two installments. The first five episodes from January 13, 2023, the second five will follow in June. (bjl)
After the streaming giant Netflix was able to generate enthusiasm among Formula 1 fans, the makers of the “Drive to Survive” series are now replacing the racetrack with the tennis court. The biggest stars of the WTA and ATP tour were accompanied by cameras throughout the 2022 season. The actors’ private moments should not be neglected either. According to the production team, the focus of the series is less on the experienced stars like Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic and more on the up-and-coming youngsters like Carlos Alcaraz or Félix Auger-Aliassime. The series will be broadcast in two installments. The first five episodes from January 13, 2023, the second five will follow in June. (bjl)
Even the rules – not that easy. “It took me about eight months to understand all dimensions of the game, the ranking and scoring system.” In addition, the hurdle to consuming tennis in social media is higher than in other sports. Tennis videos would be deleted much faster. This is how Riddle shows her followers what’s happening around the action on the court.
“She simplifies things for people to understand”
“It’s great that she does things that attract a lot of attention to our sport,” says Fritz to Blick about his girlfriend’s activities. She knows which part of touring life will generate the most attention. The trips to beautiful places, the “luxury life” – which they would not really lead. “She emphasizes the beautiful parts and simplifies things for people to understand.”
Taylor Fritz and Morgan Riddle personally
For TaylorFritz (October 28, 1997 in Rancho Santa Fe) There was no way around the yellow felt ball. The Californian comes from a tennis household, both parents were professionals. Mama Kathy May (66) was once in the top 10 in the world rankings. He picked up a racket at a young age, although he wasn’t always in the mood for it. “When I was 13 or 14, I was still faking injuries to get off the tennis court.” But at the age of 15 he decided to play tennis, and in 2015 he was crowned junior champion of the US Open. A personal highlight followed in 2018: He married his childhood sweetheart Raquel Pedraza, who was also a tennis player. The marriage only lasted a year, in 2017 son Jordan (5) was born.
Morgan Riddle grew up in Minnesota, in the American Midwest. She attended college in New York, studied marketing and English literature and completed eight internships during this time – all in the areas of influencer marketing, social media and PR. She moved to Los Angeles about two years ago and met Taylor there through a dating app. She has over 111,000 followers on Instagram and 298,000 on Tiktok.
For TaylorFritz (October 28, 1997 in Rancho Santa Fe) There was no way around the yellow felt ball. The Californian comes from a tennis household, both parents were professionals. Mama Kathy May (66) was once in the top 10 in the world rankings. He picked up a racket at a young age, although he wasn’t always in the mood for it. “When I was 13 or 14, I was still faking injuries to get off the tennis court.” But at the age of 15 he decided to play tennis, and in 2015 he was crowned junior champion of the US Open. A personal highlight followed in 2018: He married his childhood sweetheart Raquel Pedraza, who was also a tennis player. The marriage only lasted a year, in 2017 son Jordan (5) was born.
Morgan Riddle grew up in Minnesota, in the American Midwest. She attended college in New York, studied marketing and English literature and completed eight internships during this time – all in the areas of influencer marketing, social media and PR. She moved to Los Angeles about two years ago and met Taylor there through a dating app. She has over 111,000 followers on Instagram and 298,000 on Tiktok.
There are also good reasons to watch Fritz closely. For example, when he defeated Rafael Nadal first after three months unbeaten in Indian Wells last year to secure his first Masters title. It’s a duel between two injured people: Nadal suffers from a rib fracture, Fritz has an injured ankle and can only warm up with screaming spasms.
Good for Fritz and the fans: A film crew from Netflix is present at the tournament in California, documenting the epic match and everything that happened around it. The result has been visible since Friday: “Break Point” is the name of the work, it works like the hit “Drive to Survive” for Formula 1. “I’m very excited about the series,” says Fritz. “People will see exactly what happened on the final day. I think it will bring a lot to our sport – like it did to Formula 1. It’s a big part of growing in sport.”