NEWS
Taylor Fritz is America’s No 1 tennis star who is dating influencer Morgan Riddle and dreams of ending country’s wait for a US Open winner
Taylor Fritz can’t remember the exact score. But the broad strokes of the match remain seared on to his mind, more than a decade later: he was around 14, and he lost. ‘Pretty routinely,’ the American recalls.
What he didn’t find out until recently? There was more riding on the match than ranking points and a spot in the next round. His opponent that day, Tommy Paul, had made a side bet with rival Frances Tiafoe.
‘Him and Frances went on for a match at the exact same time – Tommy to play me, Frances to play someone else,’ Fritz explains. ‘And they were having a race to see who could win first. It wasn’t even a question of if he was going to win or not. It was just who could do it faster.’
Paul held up his side of the bargain. ‘He toyed with me,’ Fritz says. ‘But that’s just how it was. ‘A lot of those guys were better than me – and it wasn’t just Frances and Tommy. It was 10 or 15 other guys. I wouldn’t even be able to name them.’
He can laugh about it now. Now he sits top of the pile. Heading into the US Open, Fritz is the American No 1, boyfriend to ‘the most famous woman in men’s tennis’ and the leading light among a crop of home hopefuls in New York.
The 26-year-old is currently ranked No 12 in the world. At 13 is Ben Shelton. At 14 is Paul. At 16 is Sebastian Korda. At 20? Tiafoe. None has yet to win a Grand Slam. All harbor hopes of ending America’s 21-year wait for a male US Open champion.
In recent days, the voice of Andy Roddick has sounded around the subway network of New York. Via platform speakers, the 41-year-old offers directions to the scene of his Grand Slam victory in 2003. Coco Gauff last year made it three American women to have won since then. No man has even reached the final since Roddick in 2006.
Fritz made it to the last eight for the first time in 2023; he returns this year hoping to go a few steps further. His career is arcing in that direction and earlier this summer, Fritz overcame long days and a lack of sleep to end the career of Andy Murray and win Olympic bronze in the men’s doubles. His partner in Paris? Paul.
It was the world No 14 who told Fritz about that race with Tiafoe. ‘We weren’t friends at the time,’ Fritz says. Now they are like ‘brothers’. ‘Unfortunately, we didn’t get to do too much off the court,’ Fritz says. ‘But it was incredible to just share that experience of winning a medal with Tommy. One of my best friends.’
They and Tiafoe were all born within eight months of each other. But they rarely all shared a court as kids. ‘I was miles behind,’ Fritz explains. ‘One of the things that helped me improve so much was the first time I went to a camp with all those guys.
‘I realized that I was nowhere near as good as I thought I was.’ Fritz came from good stock – his mom, Kathy, was once ranked in the world’s top 10.
Until his mid-teens, however, the American split his time between several sports – including basketball. ‘And then 30 minutes to an hour of tennis a day,’ he recalls. ‘I never did any gym stuff. I never did any kind of conditioning.’
He quit his high school basketball team to attend that humbling first tennis camp. But before long he was living with Paul – and Reilly Opelka – at the USTA base in Florida. ‘From the age of like 15, 16, 17, I’ve been so tight with all these guys,’ he says.
In 2022, Fritz watched as Tiafoe beat Rafael Nadal en route to the US Open semi-finals. It was a run that catapulted his friend towards stardom – suddenly brands and celebrities wanted their slice of Tiafoe. Last year it was Shelton, the fearless 21-year-old with a wide smile and lightning serve, who lit up Flushing Meadows. Fritz knows this fortnight can transform his life.
‘It’s huge – these are the two weeks of the year that I feel like all of America is really paying attention to tennis,’ he says. ‘It’s an awesome opportunity to really be seen. But I’m not…’ he pauses. ‘I don’t know, I’m not thinking too much about that.’
In the past, he’s been happy to pass time by playing video games and trash talking through the screen. Thankfully, Fritz’s girlfriend doubles up as his publicist.
The 26-year-old has been dating Morgan Riddle since 2020. The influencer has been dubbed the ‘most famous woman in men’s tennis’.
She has exposed the sport – and her partner – to new audiences through social media. She has released tennis-themed jewelry. She has shed light on another side of tennis – the life of those who follow players around the globe. She ensures Fritz sleeps enough and avoids too much Chipotle or McDonald’s.
She has become a figure within the sport in her own right. The couple recently announced a partnership with Heineken’s ‘L0VE.L0VE’ campaign for the US Open.
On the eve of the tournament, Fritz and Riddle – who has 17.8million likes on TikTok -spoke on a panel about ‘the intersection of fashion and tennis’. They posed for photoshoots and coordinated black Boss outfits. Why? That’s the color Fritz will wear for night matches this week.
Last year, it was reported that their US Open routine involved staying in Manhattan’s plush Hudson Yards district and taking a helicopter out to Queens.
Riddle knew nothing about tennis before they met but earlier this summer she became the story at the sport’s flagship event. After Fritz beat Alexander Zverev at Wimbledon, the German appeared to take a thinly-veiled dig at Riddle.
Both during and after the match, meanwhile, she uploaded social media posts that seemed to reference allegations of abuse against Zverev. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Zverev and Fritz are on the same side of the draw for this US Open. Other substantial hurdles stand between the No 12 seed and a maiden Grand Slam – namely Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
‘I want to have a big run,’ Fritz says, knowing what that could mean – on and off the court.
‘All of that stuff just comes as secondary when you perform well… all I’m ever really focused on is results, trying to become the best player I can be. And living up to the expectations that I’ve put on myself.’ There’s no extra prizes this time for beating the clock.
(Armani)
Travis Kelce is back to playing NFL games in 2024, and now that Taylor Swift is off from the Eras Tour for a couple of months, she has some time when she can once again come to cheer him on at Kansas City Chiefs games. She was there for the Week 1 win and attended the Week 2 victory. She wasn’t there for the Week 3 game in Atlanta.
MORE: 8 photos of Taylor Swift having a blast at the Chiefs-Bengals game
So the question is: will she be there for the Week 4 matchup on Sunday afternoon between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Chiefs? According to our handy Taylor Swift calendar, she appears to not have anything planned that day. Which means we might see her there!
Stay tuned and we’ll see if she’s there.
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NEWS
Travis Kelce splashed out an eye-watering $70,000 on birthday gifts for ‘brother’ Patrick Mahomes… and here’s what he bought him
Patrick Mahomes recently celebrated his 29th birthday, and Travis Kelce reportedly broke the bank to make sure his ‘brother’ felt appreciated on his special day.
The pair have been teammates since Mahomes was drafted by the Chiefs in 2017, and they’ve gone on to strike up an incredible rapport that has helped the team win three Super Bowls.
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And according to the US Sun, Kelce splashed out $70,000 in birthday gifts for Mahomes this year.
The items are said to include an engraved Rolex watch for $54,200, with the letters ‘P’ and ‘M’ marked on the back to recognize their close friendship.
Kelce also reportedly got Mahomes a $2,300 wool cardigan from Louis Vuitton, and six bottles of Masseto red wine for $1,100 each.
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Travis Kelce reportedly gifted Patrick Mahomes $70,000 worth in lavish birthday gifts
Brittany Mahomes shared a photo of Patrick, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift over the summer in Europe
The Sun added that Mahomes’ wife, Brittany, helped Kelce with the watch, and that he added the engravement on the back to make it more ‘personal.’
The report comes after Brittany threw a birthday party for Patrick at their home after the Chiefs beat the Bengals.
The setup included a massive black, red and silver balloon arch sprawling across a corner of the room with a giant 29 metallic cutout at the center.
Another flashy decoration took over the area underneath the staircase with a big sign reading, ‘Patrick’s 29,’ in the middle.
Brittany even had custom cups and beer holders made, featuring childhood photos of the three-time Super Bowl winner.
After winning their second straight Super Bowl (and third total) together, Mahomes and Kelce spent some quality time together over the summer.
The friends met up in Europe as Patrick and Brittany traveled to Amsterdam to see Kelce’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift, perform on her Eras Tour.
Mahomes and Kelce have struck up an incredible partnership on the field together
Brittany, who has developed a close friendship with the pop star, shared a sweet photo of the foursome from the outing.
Later in the summer, the group descended upon New York to take in the US Open Final between Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner.
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While the American Fritz was unable to get the win, they appeared in good spirits as they watched the game from a suite at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
NEWS
Donna Kelce Says Son Travis ‘Can’t Clean’ and ‘Can’t Cook’ But Hints He Might Be ‘Getting Some Help’ from Taylor Swift
Donna Kelce is playfully sharing some of her son Travis Kelce’s flaws.
In an interview with Extra TV, the Kelce matriarch, 71, got candid about the things the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 34, can’t do despite his success at football and his recent hosting and acting gigs.
“He can’t clean. He can’t cook,” she listed off jokingly, before adding that he was “getting a little better.”
“I think he’s getting some help,” Donna noted, hinting that he might be picking up some tips from girlfriend Taylor Swift, 34.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are seen during the 2024 US Open Tennis Championships. GOTHAM/GC IMAGES
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Relationship Timeline
The 14-time Grammy winner previously shared a video on YouTube Shorts of him kissing her in the kitchen while she stirred a pot, alongside other snapshots of her life. In the brief clip, several food ingredients could be seen on the counter behind them.
When asked about his appearance in the video and the kinds of foods he liked to cook with Swift during a Chiefs press conference in June, the NFL player admitted he liked spending time in the kitchen with his girlfriend, though he declined to comment on the kinds of dishes they made together.
“I respect that question but I’m going to keep that one to myself because I thoroughly enjoy cooking with her so it’s something I’d rather just keep personal,” he responded.
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He later added in the press conference that the “Fortnight” singer “makes a great pop-tart and cinnamon roll.” She even baked for Travis’ teammates after the pair went public with their romance in September 2023.
“Kind of behind-the-scenes, she, to fit in — she didn’t even know she was doing this, I don’t think — she likes to cook, so she made the offensive linemen these homemade pop-tarts,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid revealed during an interview at the NFL Scouting Combine in February.
How Taylor Swift Supported Boyfriend Travis Kelce’s Decision to Star in Ryan Murphy’s Grotesquerie
Swift has been there to cheer Travis on as he recently returned to the football field for the NFL’s latest season. She has made appearances at the Chiefs season-opener at the beginning of this month and at the Sept. 15 Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium, where she wore an oversized Chiefs T-shirt paired with a pair of thigh high boots.
Swift is on a break from her tour following the conclusion of the European leg of her Eras Tour in mid-August, after playing a second set of shows at Wembley Stadium in London. Her tour is scheduled to pick back up mid-October in Miami.
Kelce previously supported the singer on tour, making an appearance at several of her European Eras Tour concerts. He even made a surprise cameo onstage during her June 23 show at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Will Taylor Swift be at Travis Kelce’s game for Chiefs-Chargers on Sunday?
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