Why Taylor Fritz's girlfriend Morgan Riddle's kidnapping attempt, food poisoning & other revelations need to be taken seriously by ATP & WTA

Taylor Fritz's girlfriend, Morgan Riddle, recalled several tumultuous experiences while traveling with her boyfriend across the globe. The American influencer showed the other side of the 'glamorous life' of being a girlfriend of a tennis star. Some of her horrid travelling experiences included kidnapping, break-ins and electrocution. These events have brought the ATP and the WTA into the spotlight for their limited safety measures for the players.

Apart from Riddle, even WTA stars like Emma Raducanu have experienced such fearful situations. Recently, the Brit was approached by her stalker, leaving her in tears midway through her match.

The Raducanu situation, along with Riddle's turbulent experiences throughout the year, has brought the safety of players and their partners into question on the ATP and the WTA circuits.

Morgan Riddle shares her scary traveling experiences with Taylor Fritz

Morgan Riddle has been through many intense moments throughout her traveling history. The American influencer decided against attending the Mexico Open this year after suffering from food poisoning during her trip to Acapulco last year.

Riddle posted a picture on her Instagram story, announcing that she had suffered from food poisoning four times within the last year. Once in Paris, once in Melbourne, and twice in Acapulco. Her decision turned out to be wise as many players, including Casper Ruud and Holger Rune, withdrew from the tournament due to a stomach bug.

Apart from the stomach bug, Riddle encountered other severe issues, like break-ins. The American influencer posted a video of her rented accommodation in London being broken into. In the video, Taylor Fritz tried to scare away the intruders. Riddle said that such events have happened thrice while traveling, further indicating unsafe surroundings for the players.

Probably the scariest among all the Riddle stories was the "attempted kidnapping" that she suffered while Fritz was competing at the 2024 Abierto Mexicano en Acapulco. She decided to visit a beach to catch the sunset when two men reportedly tried to grab her and then chased her down the beach.

In a video shared on her Instagram, Riddle captured a man standing behind a tree who tried to kidnap her. Later, the American influencer escaped with the help of security and made it back safely to the hotel.

"Attempted kidnapping in Acapulco last year (by the man standing behind the tree). He & another guy tried to grab me and chased me down the beach and I had to sprint and scream for help from the security guards at the hotel. The tournament did tell us not to go out by ourselves but I wanted a photo of the sunset so this one was also on me LOL"

Morgan Riddle's Instagram story

These events have raised a question mark on the safety of the players and their partners during the ATP and WTA tournaments. Not only the partners but even star names like Emma Raducanu have experienced scary moments while competing on the court.

Emma Raducanu's stalker scare is a further warning sign to the ATP and the WTA to take players' safety seriously

Emma Raducanu also faced a scary situation during the Dubai Championship. The match was halted for a few minutes and the Brit star was seen hiding behind the umpire's chair in tears as she saw her stalker in the stands.

Dubai police removed a guy who "exhibited fixed behaviour" from the stands and issued a restraining order after the incident. However, it was enough to leave a scar on the 22-year-old Brit star.

Speaking about the incident, Raducanu admitted that she was scared to see her stalker in the stand and couldn't stop crying. The former US Open champion further added that she was unsure whether she could finish the match.

"I saw him in the first game of the match and I was like, 'I don't know how I'm going to finish. I literally couldn't see the ball through tears. I could barely breathe. I was like, 'I need to just take a breather.'"

While Raducanu was safe and sound after the incident, it was a wake-up call for the authorities to be more proactive towards the safety of the players. With Morgan Riddle and Emma Raducanu vocal about their scary incidents, it might be time for the ATP and WTA to step in and work towards the safety of the players and their families travelling along for tournaments all over the world.