The grandson of tennis icon Bobby Riggs was a trusted mentor, but a chilling federal investigation into his secret life ripped his legacy to shreds

The grandson of tennis legend Bobby Riggs, Daniel James Riggs, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing two minors he coached. U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian handed down the sentence on March 12, marking a chilling end to a case that has shattered a family legacy, according to People.

Daniel Riggs, who is 33 years old, worked as a tennis coach for Team Riggs at a Fort Lauderdale tennis center. It’s truly awful to hear that the two young victims in this case were his own students, individuals who were supposed to be under his guidance and care. One of the students was just 15 when Riggs began teaching her in 2020. Another victim was identified as a 16-year-old girl through social media records.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida detailed the extent of Riggs’s predatory behavior. He reportedly used multiple social media accounts to communicate with the victims, engaging them in sexually explicit conversations. These disturbing interactions occurred between 2021 and his arrest in late 2024. It’s a stark reminder of how insidious these situations can be, with predators leveraging digital platforms to reach young people.

This is exactly why parents fear situations like this

Riggs didn’t just stop at conversations; he also requested child sexual abuse material from one of the minors via a social media app. He even created multiple anonymous profiles and advised the teen to delete their communications, clearly attempting to cover his tracks. Law enforcement managed to identify several of his social media accounts through subscriber and billing records, showcasing the thoroughness of the investigation.

The district attorney’s office also alleged that Riggs sexually abused one of the minors while traveling internationally and domestically for tennis training and tournaments, as well as within Florida. Daniel Riggs pleaded guilty to two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. As part of his plea deal, he will also be required to register as a sex offender once he is released from prison. This is a crucial step to ensure public safety after he serves his time.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida spoke on the profound betrayal of trust in this case. Quiñones stated that Riggs “abused that trust in the most disturbing way imaginable, using his position to groom and sexually exploit the very students he was supposed to mentor,” an abuse of power that mirrors other high-profile cases where a head coach was accused of taking advantage of a younger female employee.

The 20-year federal prison sentence reflects the seriousness of that betrayal and the commitment to pursuing predators who target children. This situation is made even more tragic by Daniel Riggs’s connection to tennis royalty as the grandson of the late pro Bobby Riggs. Bobby Riggs, who passed away in 1995, was a true icon famously known for his 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” match against Billie Jean King. This historic event later became a popular movie starring Steve Carell and Emma Stone.

Bobby Riggs once held the No. 1 rank in the world as a tennis player and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1967.