American tennis star Taylor Fritz has opened up about a scary incident in London in 2024 during which he had to grab his racquet as a last resort to protect his girlfriend from intruders.
Fritz and his partner Morgan Riddle were victims of an attempted break-in while on holiday in London in October 2024.
Riddle, who has dated the American tennis player since 2020, uploaded a photo shortly after showing the entrance to their apartment, writing: ‘At 4am this morning Taylor and I wake up to someone trying to enter the code and break into the front door of the Airbnb we’re staying at in London’.
After winning his opening match at the Australian Open this week, Fritz recalled the incident and how he was prepared to use his own tennis racquet as a weapon as the intruders approached.
Taylor Fritz described it as an ‘organised break-in’ of his London Airbnb.
He said the intruders woke him and his partner up as they tried to gain entry via the access code.
Taylor Fritz and partner Morgan Riddle were victims of an attempted robbery in London in 2024
The American tennis star grabbed a tennis racquet as a potential weapon to use
‘I got an Airbnb…they have a cleaning agency that comes in. The code to the door gets given out because people have to come in,’ Fritz said after his first-round win on Monday.
‘But obviously whoever is in charge changes the codes. But someone pulled up at 4am, being super loud outside, woke us up, and then they were trying to enter the code.
‘So, I think they thought no one was there. And someone that probably worked on the cleaning team or something, probably gave them the code. I think it was an organised break-in.’
Fritz, a finalist at the 2024 US Open, explained that the code was changed so they shouldn’t have been able to enter, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
‘I was sitting at the door holding my racquet. I mean, realistically I think people made fun of that. But realistically if I hit someone with a racquet, that’s going to do some damage,’ he said.
The bandits let Fritz know they were armed with a hockey stick, but the man who can serve at 236km/h said he felt confident he could counteract the threat.
‘I feel confident swinging a tennis racquet,’ Fritz said.
Riddle revealed she has suffered frightening experiences using Airbnb in the past, claiming she once woke up in 2017 to a man standing over her while she was sleeping, and walked in on someone robbing their house as recently as this summer.
Riddle and Fritz suffered the terrifying ordeal while staying at an Airbnb apartment in London
The high-profile couple have been together since 2020
Fritz is seeded ninth for this year’s Australian Open
‘Airbnb is so unsafe. They are intentionally targeted in many cities. Houses are nice for longer stays but please just stay in a hotel, especially if you are travelling alone or only with girls,’ she said at the time.
Riddle and Fritz met on members-only dating app Raya in 2020.
Fritz, the ninth seed at this year’s Australian Open, will play Czechia’s Vit Kopriva in the second round.
Despite being a top-10 seed, Fritz, along with leading Aussie hope Alex de Minaur, is rated a $101 chance to win the tournament.
