US Open: Balancing Influencers and Tennis Etiquette
Lights. Camera. Quiet, please.
At the US Open in New York, tennis is colliding head‑on with the creator economy, and the clash is getting louder than some of the rallies.
Around 100 influencers and content creators have been accredited for this year’s tournament, roughly double the number from last season. They’re here to film, post and package the Open for audiences who may never have watched a full set in their lives. They’re also forcing the sport to confront a simple question: how do you chase new eyeballs without losing old values?
When the ring light meets the service toss
The tension snapped into focus during Naomi Osaka’s first‑round match on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
High above the court, in a hospitality suite, a group began a photo shoot while play was in full flow. Out came a portable ring light. Osaka stepped up to serve. The light went on. The umpire stepped in.
The group were reprimanded, but the tone for the week had been set. When Osaka returned to Ashe on Thursday, the chair official spent much of the match policing the noise.
“Today the umpire told everyone to be quiet more than I've ever heard an umpire tell a crowd to be quiet,” Osaka said. She normally blocks out the chaos of Ashe, but not this time.
“There was a moment where there was people shouting and you could hear it quite clearly. I think it bothered my opponent, too.”
A viral video from that first match shows a group speaking loudly and filming themselves as points were being played, forcing the umpire to call for them to stop. It was influencer culture transplanted into a sport that still clings tightly to its codes of conduct.
Osaka’s stance is nuanced, but firm.
“I think obviously if you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport,” she said. “I feel like it's common courtesy to read up on the sport, especially the etiquette.
“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 the situation like my first-round match.
“Overall, I think there are huge positives. You want people to continue to grow the sport. I just think it has to be in a way that everyone knows the rules and the etiquette.”
Old etiquette, new audience
Tennis has always had its unwritten rules. A raised hand after a net cord winner. Owning up to a double bounce. The ritual of the handshake at the net. And for spectators, one golden standard: do not disturb the players during points.
That’s where the friction lies. The modern content machine thrives on constant motion and constant noise. Tennis demands the opposite at the precise moment of impact.
Coco Gauff, the world number four, likes the idea of fresh faces in the stands — and on the feeds — but she wants them to meet the sport halfway.
“I definitely think it's cool to have a new demographic and I definitely think it helps grow the sport,” she said. Then came the line that cut through the debate.
“But if you're being invited to a red carpet, you wouldn't show up in jeans. I think it's just follow the etiquette of the sport. That's all.”
On Arthur Ashe, the biggest tennis stadium in the world, there is always a murmur, a low hum of conversation and movement. Some players feed off it. Others feel it creeping into their concentration.
Daniil Medvedev, the men’s seventh seed and a man who has sparred with this New York crowd before, is willing to take the trade‑off.
“I think the more we try to raise awareness about tennis, the better it is, the more popular the sport is,” he said. “The more the sport grows, the better it is. I trust USTA with what they are doing.
“I think [there is] a lot more upside than downside, so go for it.”
American 11th seed Frances Tiafoe, one of the tour’s most charismatic figures, loves the mix.
“I think the Open is great because you get all types of people that want to come and watch tennis,” he said. “All different walks of life, different types of people, different type of occupations. Personally, I love that.
“I have no problem with anybody doing anything, coming to watch the tennis.”
Not everyone is so relaxed.
World number three Jessica Pegula called some of what she has seen “disrespectful”.
“I can appreciate the influencers coming and showcasing the US Open experience,” she said. “But I do think that it's tough when you see videos when they're taking pictures and using the selfie lights.
“People are down there trying to perform. It's their career and their job. It seems a bit disrespectful.
“I think it's become a little too much this year.
“I can appreciate one side of it, but I think when you have the other side literally interrupting matches, it gets a little tough.”
‘The tennis Disneyland’
The influencer boom is not happening in a vacuum. It sits inside a broader strategy to turn the US Open into a sprawling, all‑day, all‑week spectacle.
In 2024, the tournament introduced a policy of free fan movement, allowing spectators to come and go from their seats without waiting for changeovers. A year later, the event expanded to 15 days. The week before the singles draw is now pushed as ‘Fan Week’, built around a revamped mixed doubles competition and exhibition matches featuring stars past and present.
Tournament chief executive Craig Tiley has a simple vision for what this should become: “the tennis Disneyland”.
To get there, the USTA has created a specific “creator credential” for influencers and digital content makers.
“We need to find ways of reaching new audiences, reaching people in a way that they connect with media today,” Tiley said before the tournament. “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. That's been a big focus.”
The governing body knows the Osaka incident struck a nerve. Since that first‑round match, screens around the grounds have carried stronger messages, asking fans to “refrain from any activity that could disrupt the game, including noise levels, flash photography and ring lights”.
In a statement, the USTA underlined its balancing act.
It said it is “always striving to grow tennis in this country and bring new audiences into the sport”.
“We want all of our fans and guests to have an incredible time when they attend, but we also need to ensure they do not interfere with the action and competition on the court,” it added.
“We are continually looking for ways to ensure fans in the stands know what is permitted and what is prohibited.”
That’s the tightrope: turn Arthur Ashe into a global content stage without turning a second serve into a backdrop for someone else’s selfie.
The sport wants the spotlight. It just still needs the silence.
