Add The New York Post on Google Morgan Riddle entered the chat on influencer drama at the US Open after a chair umpire had to pause the first-round match between Naomi Osaka and Anastasia Zakharova on Monday due to an overzealous group in a suite at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
During an interview with Us Weekly, the influencer, who split from American pro Taylor Fritz in April, explained that the stigma around content creators at sports events goes beyond just the tennis tournament at Flushing Meadows.
“I don’t think that’s isolated to the Open, necessarily,” Riddle, who attended the US Open on Sunday, told the publication. “I think that’s just the state of the world in general right now … I don’t think it’s just a monoculture happening around the US Open. I just think that’s sort of the zeitgeist right now. People do things for social media.
Morgan Riddle attends the 2026 US Open Tennis Championships on Sunday, August 30, 2026, in New York City. GC Images “Obviously people love to bag on influencers for doing that, but every single person who goes to the Open is going to take photos and take content, except maybe the older, die-hard, OG tennis fans.
“So yes, people do want to blame influencers, but I do think a lot of people you see taking content around the grounds are just regular people.”
Riddle explained that there needs to “better communication” when it comes to “general tennis etiquette” — something she is well-versed due to her years traveling on the ATP Tour with Fritz.
“I want to be empathetic about that, too, because there are so many people who are going to the US Open for the first time and they’ve never been to a tennis match before,” she said. “How are they supposed to know the rules?”
Signage posted around the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows asks attendees to “please refrain from the use of flash photography or other lighting.”
A viral video showed one woman, wearing a polkadot dress, using a bright ring light to take photos of herself during the match.
Another clip making the rounds online showed a bunch of influencers in a luxury suite recording a voiceover video — while a fan appeared to be cringing at them while sitting a few rows beneath the suite.
Influencers at the US Open are stirring buzz for filming content during the first-round match between Naomi Osaka and Anastasia Zakharova at the US Open in New York on Monday, August 31, 2026. TikTok/not your lawyer Umpires at the US Open have shared warnings on capturing content during play.
During her relationship with Fritz, Riddle cultivated a massive social media following with her fashion and lifestyle content and behind-the-scenes look at men’s tennis.
The US Open approved credentials for “close to 100” content creators, more than doubling last year’s total, as reported by Front Office Sports last month.
Top brands have been hosting influencers for years at the U.S. Open.
Moët & Chandon, Ralph Lauren, Adidas and Dobel Tequila are among the brands hosting influencers this year.
