By user-5817544574416865421 
Influencers and content creators have been granted accreditation for the US Open in New York, and their presence has sparked debate over how to attract a new audience while respecting the sport’s etiquette. Around 100 creators received accreditation for this year’s tournament, double the number from last year.
World number four Coco Gauff said she sees value in reaching new fans but believes visitors should follow the sport’s customs. “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. That’s all.”
The clearest flashpoint came during two-time champion Naomi Osaka‘s first-round match on Arthur Ashe Stadium. One group held a photo shoot in their hospitality suite while play was underway, turning on a portable ring light while Osaka was serving. The umpire reprimanded them. 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. “I tell people I normally just focus on the match and the court, but there was a moment where there was people shouting and you could hear it quite clearly.”
A viral video shows a group speaking loudly as they filmed themselves during Osaka’s Tuesday match, prompting the chair umpire to call for them to stop. Osaka said fans should learn the rules before attending. “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 the situation like my first-round match.”
Players divided on the trend
Men’s seventh seed Daniil Medvedev, who has had a difficult 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 more popular the sport is,” he said. “I think [there is] a lot more upside than downside, so go for it.”
American 11th seed Frances Tiafoe praised the mix of people in the stands. “I think the Open is great because you get all types of people that want to come and watch tennis,” he said. “Personally, I love that.”
American world number three Jessica Pegula took a more critical view, calling 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.”
Tournament expands its fan experience
The US Open introduced free fan movement in 2024, allowing spectators to take their seats during changeovers without waiting. A year later, the tournament expanded to 15 days, with the week before the singles draw now marketed as “Fan Week”. That week features 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 said the tournament needs new ways to reach audiences. “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,” he said.
Since the incident during Osaka’s match, screens around the grounds have displayed reminders asking 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”, adding that it needs to ensure fans “do not interfere with the action and competition on the court”.