The grandson of tennis legend Bobby Riggs was arrested on Tuesday at the Lauderdale Tennis Club in Fort Lauderdale on charges of enticing a minor and producing child pornography, according to Local10.com. Daniel Riggs, who works as a coach at the club, was arrested by several armed FBI agents.
The Department of Justice said that social media "records" suggest there may be more than one victim. The late Bobby Riggs, a tennis icon during his era, was one of America's top players and won the Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 1939 and in 1941. Riggs is suspected of having sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl he had been coaching.
Sexual Predator Grandson
According to a federal lawsuit filed in September, the tennis coach from South Florida allegedly used the well-known social media app Snapchat to have sexual interactions with the 15-year-old female athlete.
Riggs allegedly met his student in 2020 and started sexually assaulting her in 2021 and continued for over three years, according to Local 10.
The minor was also sexually abused by Riggs when they were traveling both domestically and abroad for training and competitions, according to the DOJ, and the "abuse continued locally within the Southern District of Florida."
According to Local 10, Riggs allegedly requested content about child sexual assault via Snapchat and continue to have sex with the minor. He is also said to have created multiple anonymous profiles and advised the minor to eliminate their communications.
"On another occasion in Brazil, Minor Victim 1 went to RIGGS' room. There, RIGGS informed Minor Victim 1 that he felt they should not do this anymore (referring to engaging in sexual acts) because of the potential repercussions," the criminal complaint states, according to Local 10.
Shame to the Family
When federal agents arrived at the upscale Lauderdale Tennis Club in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday, they interviewed several employees, children, and parents present at the courts, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The Riggs family operates a private tennis coaching business, Team Riggs Inc., within the Lauderdale Tennis Club—a private facility that features tennis courts and condos. The Orlando Sentinel reported that Team Riggs Inc. leases courts at the club for their exclusive operations. State business records identify Daniel Riggs as the president of the company.
Before taking up to coaching, Riggs achieved notable success as a player. In 2009, he won a national team title for Florida and followed it up in 2010 with a high school doubles championship, as detailed in biographies on college athletics websites.
Riggs furthered his tennis career at the collegiate level, playing for Cornell University's tennis team in 2011 and 2012. He later competed for Lynn University in Boca Raton during the 2014 and 2015 seasons, according to records from both institutions.
In addition to his impressive championship successes, Bobby Riggs is best remembered for the iconic "Battle of the Sexes" match against fellow tennis legend Billie Jean King.
Riggs who was 55 at that time, faced off against the 29-year-old King in a match designed to prove his claim that women were inferior in tennis, according to a post on King's website. However, the event became historic as Riggs was famously defeated by King.
Riggs is scheduled for a pretrial detention hearing on December 23 at 11 a.m. ET. The investigation into the case was conducted by the FBI Miami division and the Broward Sheriff's Office.
