"My girlfriend is more popular than me" - Taylor Fritz tricked into making hilarious admission about Morgan Riddle during Shanghai Masters prank

Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe fell victim to a hilarious prank orchestrated by Grigor Dimitrov at the 2023 Shanghai Masters.

The Shanghai Masters media team organized a session called 'Lost In Translation, where players, including Fritz and Tiafoe, were asked to speak a Chinese phrase without understanding its meaning, believing it to be for promotional purposes.

Unbeknownst to them, it was Dimitrov pulling the strings as he instructed the producers to direct the players as per his wishes. The Bulgarian relished instructing Taylor Fritz to utter a phrase about his girlfriend Morgan Riddle's popularity.

"My girlfriend is more popular than me," Fritz was directed to say.

While the American struggled to articulate the phrase correctly, Dimitrov humorously provided encouragement from behind the scenes.

"Come on pretty boy. Tell him to show us what he's made of," Dimitrov said.

Fritz eventually managed to say the words and expressed delight at his successful attempt.

"Hey, that's good. That's good. Almost perfect," he said.

After the true meaning of the phrase was revealed to him, the 25-year-old hilariously admitted that his girlfriend was, in fact, more popular than him.

"I mean, you're not wrong," Fritz admitted.

Taylor Fritz's girlfriend Morgan Riddle is a social media influencer who has garnered a substantial following by traveling with the American and providing exclusive behind-the scenes insights into tournaments around the world.

Ahead of the 2023 US Open, Riddle was also recognized as the "most famous woman in men's tennis" in a New York Times featurette.

Frances Tiafoe was among Dimitrov's victims as well. He was directed to say the phrase:

"I've got more celebrity friends than you."

From the background, Dimitrov quipped that Tiafoe had now joined the ranks of celebrities himself.

"He's a celebrity now," he said.

Upon learning the real meaning of the phrase, the American joked that it was true.

"No way, that's hilarious. I probably do," he said.

How Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe fared at Shanghai Masters 2023

Taylor Fritz at the 2023 Shanghai Rolex Masters

Taylor Fritz entered the 2023 Shanghai Masters as the seventh seed. Following a bye in the first round, he secured a hard-fought 7-6(2), 6-7(6), 6-4 win over Yosuke Watanuki.

The American took on Diego Schwartzman in the third round. Despite making a strong comeback after losing the opening set, Fritz was unable to pull through as the Argentine claimed a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5) victory.

Meanwhile, 10th seed Frances Tiafoe kicked off his campaign against Lorenzo Sonego in the second round. The American clinched the opening set in dominant fashion. However, Sonego raised his level in the subsequent sets to win 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 and oust Tiafoe from the tournament.

Grigor Dimitrov, on the other hand, has reached the quarterfinals of the ATP Masters 1000 event. The Bulgarian upset top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round to set up a clash with Nicolas Jarry for a place in the semifinals.