There was quite the tennis controversy online after American Taylor Fritz beat No. 4 Alexander Zverev in an incredible comeback five-set win during Monday's fourth round match at Wimbledon.
The stir began when Zverev seemed to have an extended chat with Fritz at the net after the match ended. Zverev said he was upset with people in Fritz's box who "are not maybe from the tennis world," which many assumed to be a jab at Fritz's girlfriend, Morgan Riddle. Fritz later kept his explanation short about what was said, detailing that he wished Zverev the best after the German appeared to hurt his knee.
However, Riddle seemed to add to the conversation by posting two Instagram stories with the captions "cheer loud ladies" and "when ur man wins 4 the girls." Fans interpreted these posts as commentary on Zverev's domestic abuse allegations from two of his former partners.
Riddle took both the posts down after social media ran with stories about what the posts could mean. She posted a clarification on Instagram on Tuesday.
"I took them down as soon as I realized the misunderstanding and how blown out of proportion they had become by the media," Riddle said. "They were not about anything that's happened off the tennis court [and] there's no bad blood between anyone."
Morgan Riddle put this retraction up today…can’t say her statement is especially believable given the obvious context of yesterday’s posts, but it’s unsurprising that the culture of silence in the ATP around the Zverev abuse accusations remains incredibly strong. pic.twitter.com/w9dLouqn3X
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) July 9, 2024
Fritz will face No. 25 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy on Wednesday in order to earn a spot in the semifinals, which will take place on Friday. The men's singles final will be played on Sunday, beginning at 9 a.m. ET.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Morgan Riddle, Taylor Fritz's Girlfriend, Clarifies Posts Seemingly Targeted at Zverev.
