The audience in France is vehemently loyal to their players. They will support them no matter who they are facing in any competition. However, sometimes the support goes overboard and devolves into harsh words. At the recently concluded French Open, Taylor Fritz became the target of the French crowd as he beat a French player, and his antics after the match pushed it overboard. Morgan Riddle, Fritz’s girlfriend, revealed the security detail they were assigned as threats had overwhelmed the couple.
After his second-round match against Arthur Rinderknech, Fritz was the target of immense hatred. Defeating a Frenchman at the French Open did not settle well with the locals, and they made their displeasure known to the American player. However, he did not take the abuse lying down and fired back at the crowd.
Morgan Riddle and Taylor Fritz get bodyguards
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Winning against Rinderknech would end up being a memorable moment for the American number 1. Not because he was able to advance into the next round, but because of the danger posed by the crowd. The hatred for Taylor Fritz had reached an all-time high after his ‘shushing’ reaction to the crowd booing. His move of shushing the crowd after his win became a highlight of his time and made him the target for all jeers.
However, the issue went out of hand rather quickly as Fritz was also threatened with physical harm. Morgan Riddle, his girlfriend, talked about the incident on her YouTube channel. She stated how the two had started receiving several threats during their last moments in Paris. The threats increased to the extent that the French Tennis Federation had given them security personnel.
“The last two days that we were in Paris, the French [Tennis] Federation gave us, like, two absolute units. Like these huge bodyguards that hade to stay with us 24/7, because Taylor was getting so many threats because of everything that has happened.”
After the whole affair, Riddle said that she was happy to be back home and relax.
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How Fritz riled up the crowd?
As he defeated Rinderknech in four sets, Fritz received nothing but immense hate from the crowd at the Stade Roland Garros. But Fritz was not one to shy away from confrontation. He simply shushed the crowd with a finger on his lips. However, the drama did not end there, as he was welcomed with loud boos in his third-round bout.
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Riddle was disturbed by both situations. She recorded the behavior of the crowd and shared it on her Instagram story. But she was still proud of her beau firing back at the crowd and not taking the abuse lying down.