Morgan Riddle entered tennis through Taylor Fritz in 2020 and turned that access into a brand built around fashion, lifestyle, and life on tour. Nearly six years later, the circle has come back around, with Riddle now facing backlash over a take on female sports fans that quickly struck a nerve.
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Riddle said, “The 400 Club welcomes women into sports in any way that they want. Men have created this idea that, to be a true sports fan, you have to know all the players’ names and the statistics. There is this funny judgment that, if someone is watching a sport just for the fun of it or the aesthetic of it, that makes them less of a true fan. But my gateway into being a true sports fan was through pop culture, media, and fashion, not diving headfirst into data.”
Critics argued that the comment risked reducing female fandom to aesthetics rather than knowledge of the sport. That criticism also touched on Riddle’s own brand.
The backlash also came after another influencer controversy at this US Open. During Naomi Osaka’s first-round match against Anastasia Zakharova, creators in a hospitality suite made noise and used a ring light behind the court, prompting the chair umpire to intervene.
Riddle later defended influencers in an interview with Us Weekly via her partnership with 7UP, saying, “Obviously people love to bag on influencers for doing that, but every single person who goes to the Open is going to take photos and take content, except maybe the older, die-hard, OG tennis fans.”
Her comments come as the US Open leans further into creator culture. The USTA accredited around 100 creators in 2026, up from 54 last year.
That growing presence has only made the debate around who gets to shape sports fandom more visible.
Fans React to Morgan Riddle’s Comments on Sports Fandom
“Is she for real,” one fan wrote. Riddle’s comments clashed with the reality that many female fans already engage deeply with sports through analysis, statistics and match knowledge.
“So she just likes events and being seen, not the actual games being played,” another fan posted. Riddle’s own content has largely centered on Get Ready With Me videos, player-box vlogs and tournament food guides rather than match analysis.
“Well at least one player she knew the name,” a third comment read. Riddle dated Taylor Fritz for nearly six years, and the American suffered a third-round loss to Francisco Cerúndolo at this year’s US Open.
“Her gateway was dating Taylor Fritz,” a fourth fan wrote. Riddle entered the tennis world through her relationship with Fritz in 2020, before building her brand around fashion, lifestyle and pop culture.
“Influencers ruin everything they touch,” a fifth fan commented. That frustration also tied back to the Naomi Osaka match, where influencers in a hospitality suite disrupted play with noise, a ring light and a photoshoot.
The backlash shows how sensitive the debate around influencer access has become. The US Open has accredited nearly 100 creators this year, making the issue even harder to ignore.