Add The New York Post on Google Talk about cringe.
While influencers have become as much a part of the U.S. Open experience as the $23 Honey Deuce, their presence has created a stir after chair umpire Kader Nouni had to admonish a group in a suite during Naomi Osaka’s match against Anastasia Zakharova at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday.
A viral video of the incident showed one woman using a bright ring light to capture content during the match. In a different post, a group of influencers in a luxury suite were seen recording a video, much to the dismay of a fan sitting below them.
The instances have gotten quite a bit of attention as part of the discourse surrounding the annual Flushing Meadows tournament and the increasing focus beyond the world’s best tennis players competing on the court.
In a statement to The Post, USTA spokesperson Brendan McIntyre described the “instances” as things that happen “infrequently.”
“We want our fans and guests to have an incredible time when they attend the US Open, but we also need to ensure that does not interfere with the action and competition on the court,” McIntyre said. “These instances happen infrequently, and similar to when crowd noise reaches a certain level, our chair umpires have the ability to address the crowd when they occur.”
The USTA has embraced the social media wave and the audience that content creators and influencers bring to the table.
In 2025, they issued 54 media credentials to content creators, marking the first time the Grand Slam tournament had done so. This year, the USTA has issued “close to 100,” USTA director of media operations Jeanmarie Daly told Front Office Sports.
The players on the court have seemed to embrace their presence at the tournament as well — at least some, anyway.
American star Jessica Pegula can “appreciate” influencers coming to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and “showcasing the U.S. Open experience,” she said after her second-round win over Sofia Kenin on Wednesday.
However, the scenes from earlier in the week seemed to raise questions for her, too.
“I do think that it’s tough when you see videos like that when they’re taking pictures and using the selfie lights,” Pegula said. “People are down there trying to perform, and it’s their career and their job. It seems like a bit disrespectful. I think it’s gotten a little maybe too much, it feels like, this year. I don’t know.
“I think, again, 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 influencer influx hasn’t sat well with some tennis fans either, who have felt the U.S. Open attendees are there more for the vibes than the actual competition.
“They don’t even care about tennis,” one person bemoaned to The Post last week. “They are all just getting drunk and being rowdy.”
Caitlin Thompson, founder of tennis’ preeminent literary magazine, Racquet, recently told The Post that she didn’t “think anyone’s really there to watch tennis [anymore].”
