Around 100 influencers and content creators have been granted accreditation for the US Open in New York, double the number from last year. Their presence has sparked debate over how to bring tennis to a new audience while respecting the sport’s etiquette.
Tennis has many unwritten rules. Players apologise after winning a point from a net cord, and they are honest about line calls, double bounces and double-hits. Spectators are expected to stay quiet and avoid disturbing players during points.
A disruptive moment
The debate intensified during Naomi Osaka‘s first-round match on Arthur Ashe Stadium. One group held a photo shoot in their hospitality suite while play was under way. They turned on a portable ring light while Osaka was serving, and the umpire reprimanded them. A video of another group speaking loudly as they filmed themselves during the same match has since gone viral, and the chair umpire called for them to stop.
When Osaka returned on Thursday, the umpire had to remind the crowd several times to be quiet. “Today the umpire told everyone to be quiet more than I’ve ever heard an umpire tell a crowd to be quiet,” Osaka said. “There was a moment where there were people shouting and you could hear it quite clearly.”
The two-time champion, who won the title in 2018 and 2020, said that visitors should respect the sport. “I feel like it’s common courtesy to read up on the sport, especially the etiquette,” she said. “It could be a good thing for people to make the sport of tennis popular to their specific audience, but I think it has to be managed a lot better, especially in a situation like my first-round match.”
Mixed views among the players
Several players welcomed the influx of new fans. Coco Gauff, the world number four, said she thought it was “cool” to attract a new demographic and that it helped grow the sport. However, she drew a comparison with formal events. “If you’re being invited to a red carpet, you wouldn’t show up in jeans,” she said. “I think it’s just follow the etiquette of the sport.”
Daniil Medvedev, the men’s seventh seed, who has had a tricky relationship with New York crowds in the past, backed the approach. “I think the more we try to raise awareness about tennis, the better it is,” the Russian said. “I trust USTA with what they are doing. I think there is a lot more upside than downside, so go for it.”
Frances Tiafoe, the American 11th seed, praised the diversity of the crowd. “I think the Open is great because you get all types of people that want to come and watch tennis,” he said. “I have no problem with anybody doing anything, coming to watch the tennis.”
American world number three Jessica Pegula took a more critical view. She said she could appreciate influencers showcasing the US Open experience, but she considered some of the behaviour “disrespectful”. “People are down there trying to perform. It’s their career and their job,” she said. “I think it’s become a little too much this year.”
The tournament’s push for new audiences
The US Open introduced free fan movement in 2024, so spectators no longer need to wait to take their seats during changeovers. A year later, the tournament expanded to 15 days, and the week before the singles draw is now marketed as ‘Fan Week’. That week showcases the revamped mixed doubles competition and exhibition matches between past and present players. Tournament chief executive Craig Tiley hopes the event will become “the tennis Disneyland”.
Tiley defended the influencer accreditation at a pre-tournament news conference. “We need to find ways of reaching new audiences, reaching people in a way that they connect with media today,” he said. “The creation of the creator credential has been a key part of that because it’s enabled us to talk to people in a way that they’re listening.”
Since the incident in Osaka’s first match, the organisers have increased messaging on screens around the grounds. The signs urge people to “refrain from any activity that could disrupt the game, including noise levels, flash photography and ring lights”. The USTA said it “is always striving to grow tennis in this country and bring new audiences into the sport”, but it also stressed that fans “do not interfere with the action and competition on the court”. It added that it is “continually looking for ways to ensure fans in the stands know what is permitted and what is prohibited.”