Taylor Fritz's girlfriend sparks fan frenzy during Wimbledon match

Taylor Fritz may have stretched Rafa Nadal to five sets and threatened to knock the 22-time grand slam champion out of Wimbledon, but for some it was his girlfriend who became the talk of the match.

Fritz's girlfriend Taylor Riddle has been by his side throughout his run to the quarter-finals at the All-England Club.

'I CAN'T': Nick Kyrgios presser cut off after journalist's question

'DO BETTER': Tennis world rages over question for Ajla Tomljanovic

On Wednesday his brilliant run came to an end as he went down to Nadal in a five-set epic, with the Spaniard defying injury to win 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6 (10-4).

Riddle was a mix of emotions as she watched on from the stands, but for many the focus on Fritz's girlfriend was a bit much.

The BBC coverage panned to Riddle a number of times throughout the match, with some pointing out that the broadcast seemed more infatuated with her than Fritz.

The focus on Riddle was so evident that she actually gained about 30,000 Instagram followers during the match.

"Currently enjoying the BBC coverage of Fritz's girlfriend interspersed with occasional bits of tennis," one social user media commented.

Another wrote: "Please can Wimbledon stop showing Taylor Fritz’s girlfriend. We don’t care. About 137372 closeups now."

While a third wrote: "Can we see someone in the crowd other than Fritz’s girlfriend every 5 seconds."

Riddle has been documenting her travels around the world with Fritz on TikTok.

In March she attempted to give Americans a unique insight into the sport of tennis, saying: “I know tennis is relatively uncool and unknown in America”.

Speaking to non-tennis fans, Riddle explained the four grand slams, how the ATP tour works, as well as the scoring and rankings systems.

She also pointed out that she gets to drink and eat “champagne and strawberries and cream” at Wimbledon, as well as “getting to wear really cute outfits”.

After his girlfriend copped some backlash over the video, Fritz said he believed it was a good thing for the sport.

“I think what she did was awesome for our sport. It got a ton of people looking at it," he said.

“I think you get your typical older fan maybe upset about it. I don’t understand how anyone can get upset about it.

"I’m the one that’s a professional tennis player, I’m the one that does this for a living. I 100 per cent agree with everything in that video.

“People know a couple, they know what the grand slams are, a couple little things about it, they’re like, ‘What are you talking about?’"

Rafa Nadal not certain to face Kyrgios in semi-final

Meanwhile, Nadal has made the shock confession that he's not sure if he will be able to back up and play against Nick Kyrgios in their blockbuster semi-final showdown.

The Spanish champion defied his family throughout the match, with his father and sister appearing to implore him to retire hurt.

Asked if he'd be fit to play Kyrgios on Friday, Nadal shrugged: "I don't know.

"Honestly, I can't give you a clear answer because if, tomorrow, another thing happens, I will be a liar.

"It's the player decision, but at the same time I need to know different opinions and need to check everything the proper way, no?

"Something more important than winning Wimbledon, that is the health. Let's see how this is going."

Nadal said about his family: "They told me I need to retire the match.

"I tried. For me, was tough to retire in the middle of the match. Not easy even if I had that idea for such a long time.

"I did it a couple of times in my tennis career. Is something that I hate to do. So I just keep trying - and that's it."

with AAP

Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.