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When it comes to spectator style, Morgan Riddle doesn’t fault. Or faff about, for that matter. In Melbourne for the 2025 Australian Open, we meet the 27-year-old influencer and partner of American tennis player, fourth seed Taylor Fritz, at a GRAZIA X Ralph Lauren soiree. Guests were invited to attend a styling suite prior to the event, with most taking their sweet time to mull over many an outfit before settling on a look.
But not Riddle.
“I walked straight into the styling suite and said, ‘That’s what I want to wear,” says Riddle of a cream Polo Ralph Lauren boilersuit, her demeanour confident and sweet. “I think I’m a lot more low maintenance than people think. It’s also been a crazy week [with the California wildfires] and outfits haven’t been on my mind as much as maybe they are at other tournaments.” (This year, Fritz donated his first-round prize money—a total of $132,000—to LA wildfire relief funds.)
It was on these very courts in Melbourne in 2022 that Riddle began posting videos of her outfits to TikTok, an almost hobby that gained followers so quickly that it became bigger than her corporate job in media. Suddenly, tennis fans would be rocking up to matches to see Fritz on the court and Riddle in the stands. Today, she’s a W.A.G. by trade—and proud of it—and is smart, vivacious, and down to earth. And yes, she is more than aware of the assumptions she can draw at first glance.
“I knew going into this that a blonde, female influencer who is making videos about her match outfits in a male dominated sport—like, yeah, no sh*t, I was going to get hate,” she says.
But it didn’t matter. Eighteen months later, Riddle was branded the “most famous woman in men’s tennis” by the New York Times.
But how did she do it? Ahead, the making of Morgan Riddle.
GRAZIA: Your profile skyrocketed in 2022 when you began trying on outfits for the Australian Open and posting them to TikTok. Since, you’ve deftly carved out a marketing plan to maintain traction of your profile/personal brand. Was that always the plan? How has this unfolded?
Morgan Riddle: To be honest, it kind of started as a way to share my life and my love for fashion and love for tennis as I was still relatively new on the tour. I didn’t know anything about tennis when I started dating Taylor. I was like, “Oh my gosh, the players have to pay for all their own travel?” and “This is how the ranking works?” I was so fascinated by it. I wanted to share the curiosity I had around the sport. I didn’t really have a plan in the beginning, but overtime as it’s grown into my personal brand and my business, I’ve become really intentional about aligning with opportunities and brands that fit authentically with my interests and personality. It’s been pretty organic, I wouldn’t say it ever was like, “I want to be an influencer.”
GRAZIA: You have returned serve (so to speak) tipping the “plus-one” ideology on its head. Do you think you’ve redefined what a W.A.G, is in the sporting world?
MR: I think W.A.G.s have always had a negative connotation to them. I think W.A.G.s themselves don’t like being called W.A.G.s. I’ve always embraced it. I knew going into this that people were always going to refer to me as a W.A.G. so I didn’t want to constantly be going, “Don’t call me that.” I just had to embrace it to avoid the inevitable negativity that would come if I didn’t. I’ve always used my platform to show my love for tennis and other things I’m authentically interested in: the fan culture, travelling to new countries, trying new foods, meeting people from different parts of the world. If that’s changed how people perceive W.A.G.s, then I hope that it’s just a reminder to people that there’s not a ‘one size fits all’ definition.
“All of these women have their own lives and stories—and they just happen to be with a partner that plays sport and sweats for a living. I don’t think people need to be so judge-y about it.”
GRAZIA: Can you tell GRAZIA readers how much planning and work goes into your wardrobe ahead of a tournament?
MR: [Taylor and I] live in LA so we’ve spent [a lot of this tournament] checking on friends and family [amid the wildfires]. I recently started working with a stylist. She is one of my childhood friends, her name is Emily and she works on Jared Ellner’s team who styes Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and Emma Chamberlain. Emily and I grew up in Minnesota together. For Wimbledon, we put out a moodboard of shapes we loved and designers we felt were top tier and suited to the tournament. We looked at matches Princess Diana attended in the 80s. I ended up wearing a really fantastic Tod’s piece and we added a strawberry charm onto the belt as a nod to the strawberries and cream traditional dessert served at Wimbledon. We also sourced this 2008 Chanel dress which was red and white. I really wanted to channel the strawberries! A lot of thought goes into certain tournaments. But we’re on the road for 40 weeks a year so if I was putting that level of particular-ness into every one of them, I think I would lose my mind.
GRAZIA: How do you go living out of a suitcase and calling in clothes to different hotels around the world?
MR: I am not someone to look to for minimalist packing advice! I have, like, two 32-kilogram overweight checked suitcases. The minimal carry-on for three weeks is not for me! So, how do I pack for these? Not lightly!
GRAZIA: Post a game, what type of hours go into editing content for your socials?
MR: The platform that is the most work is YouTube. I’m very particular about how I edit my videos and finding the perfect font and song to capture the vibe of wherever I’m at. I have so much fun with it. It’s truly the one and only thing where I can get into a flow state where eight hours can go by—I just absolutely adore it. “Get Ready With Me” TikToks can be five minutes. But YouTube can be five to 10 hours.
GRAZIA: When it comes to “spectator style”, what are your top three fashion rules?
MR: I will say this is advice I give people that I don’t follow myself! [Laughs] Comfortable shoes are important. The grounds are massive. I’ve seen girl walking out of the Australian Open with their heels in their hands because their feet hurt. So, if you are going to wear heels, try a kitten heel that you can walk 10,000 steps in. Now, I do wear heels to matches and so, I wear orthopaedic gel inserts [in my shoes], little heels pads and hydrocolloid Band-Aids over my toes to avoid blisters. It’s extensive but I want to wear heels!
GRAZIA: That’s so funny. Taylor could be taping an injury and you’re taping your heels and toes!
MR: I definitely have asked his physio for tape and Band-Aids before! You gotta do what you gotta do! [Laughs] The other piece of advice I’d give is wear whatever is going to make the experience more fun. Four years ago, I began dressing up for Taylor’s matches because I love to dress up. I would wear colourful dresses and heels and it made the experience more fun for me. But wear whatever you want. If that’s a t-shirt and tennis shoes, that’s fine, too.
GRAZIA: How do you think the Australian Open style is different to other tennis tournaments around the world?
MR: It’s so hot most days so linen and breezy outfits are much more popular in Australia than other places. Also, while you guys have so many brands, Australian fashion is very distinct. I can look at someone’s outfit and just know, “Oh, that’s an Aussie brand.”
GRAZIA: Can you tell us about your post-match beauty routine?
MR: I keep my skincare very, very simple. I used to have acne and used a cleanser called PanOxyl. It’s the one thing that keeps my skin really good. I also love the Hailey Beiber Rhode skincare line. I was sceptical at first but it is absolutely fantastic. This year, I started getting micro-needling with PRP (platelet-rich plasma). I have done every skincare treatment under the sun and this was the best thing I’ve ever done for my skin. I try and get it done every six weeks.
GRAZIA: You seem to live such a glamorous lifestyle. But what is the most challenging/non-glamorous part about travelling around the world with a tennis star?
MR: It can just get exhausting. I have an aura ring and it just hates me with the constant jetlag. Not really having a circadian rhythm is really hard. It can also be lonely and isolating. I might be in Shanghai for two weeks and I don’t know anybody there and it can be quite difficult. Luckily, I’m a pretty independent person and I like spending time by myself.
“When I first started travelling, something that was really hard was the lack of routine: you’re staying in hotels, you’re eating out all the time. It really started to take a toll on my physical and mental health.”
Now, I have a very strict morning routine. Every morning, I go on an outdoor walk, I use ClassPass to book a Pilates or Barry’s class, and I try to eat as healthy as possible. It keeps me grounded and sane.
GRAZIA: How do you deal with negative comments online?
MR: I would say pretty well! We’re all human and some things can hurt my feelings, for sure. But I think I’ve always been pretty resilient and had pretty thick skin. I worked in the corporate world before this, so it’s not like I started in social media at 15 years old. I became an adult and had a pretty strong sense of self before all of this which has helped me navigate the landscape a little bit more. I have a lot of friends who do similar work and we lean on each other. I knew going into this that this blonde, female influencer who is making videos about her match outfits in a male dominated sport—like, yeah, no sh*t, I was going to get hate. I knew that from the start.
GRAZIA: You met Taylor on Raya. Do you have any online dating tips for GRAZIA readers?
MR: I don’t know if I can give any tips as Taylor is the first guy I met on there! I have a lot of friends who have met their boyfriends/husbands/fiancés online, though, so it can happen! I know the apps get a bad wrap but it’s definitely possible, and in the US, it’s quite common.
GRAZIA: Off the court, what is your favourite thing about Taylor?
MR: Every night before bed, he plays with my hair to make me fall asleep. It will be for like, 30 minutes, while he’s watching a show. He’s done that every night for four-and-a-half years. I know he doesn’t want to do that but he knows how much I love it. That’s really nice because sleep is hard when you’re travelling this much.
GRAZIA: Lastly, what’s next for you?
MR: Things have been changing so fast for me. This time last year, I was thinking, “Oh, I’d really like to get into F1, it would be so cool to produce similar kind of content.” Two month later, I was hosting the Australian Grand Prix and I went to four or five more races throughout the year. I’m keeping my options open and will keep doing what I’m doing and trust that the right opportunities come to me.
