US Open 2023: Balancing Influencers and Tennis Etiquette
Lights. Camera. Quiet, please.
At the US Open in New York, tennis’ oldest courtesies are colliding head‑on with its newest guests: influencers with ring lights, content plans and little interest in waiting for a changeover.
Around 100 influencers and content creators have been accredited this year, double last year’s number. For the USTA, they are a gateway to fresh eyes and younger fans. For some players, they are starting to feel like a distraction from the job.
Coco Gauff, world number four and one of the sport’s most marketable stars, understands exactly why they are here — and exactly where the line should be.
"I definitely think it's cool to have a new demographic and I definitely think it helps grow the sport," she said. "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 Stadium, that etiquette has already been tested.
Ring lights on Ashe, tempers on edge
During two-time champion Naomi Osaka’s first-round match on the tournament’s biggest stage, a group in a hospitality suite staged their own photo shoot while points were being played. They switched on a portable ring light as Osaka prepared to serve. The umpire stepped in with a reprimand.
When Osaka returned to Ashe on Thursday, the noise and movement hadn’t disappeared. The chair umpire repeatedly had to ask the crowd for silence.
"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 usually shuts out the chaos. This time, it cut through.
"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.
"I think it bothered my opponent, too."
One clip from her opening match has gone viral: a group talking loudly into their phones, filming themselves while Osaka plays. The umpire finally calls for them to stop.
Osaka’s message is simple.
"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."
Tennis Disneyland meets tennis tradition
Arthur Ashe is not a library. It never has been. It is the biggest tennis stadium in the world, a bowl of constant hum and clatter, where conversations roll around the upper decks and late arrivals shuffle to their seats mid-game.
Some players feed off it. Some endure it.
Men's seventh seed Daniil Medvedev, who has long had a complicated relationship with New York crowds, sits firmly in the growth camp.
"I think the more we try to raise awareness about tennis, the better it is, the more popular the sport is," the Russian 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 revels in the mix of people pouring through the gates.
"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."
Others draw a sharper line.
World number three Jessica Pegula accepts the idea of influencers, but not when their content turns into a sideshow during points.
"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 creator credential era
This is not happening by accident. The US Open has deliberately reimagined itself as an all‑access spectacle.
In 2024, it introduced a policy of free fan movement, scrapping the old rule that spectators had to wait for changeovers to take their seats. The following year, the event stretched to 15 days. The week before the main singles draw is now marketed as "Fan Week", a festival built around a revamped mixed doubles competition and exhibition matches featuring stars past and present.
Tournament chief executive Craig Tiley has a clear vision of what all this should become: "the tennis Disneyland".
Part of that plan is the "creator credential" – the golden ticket for influencers.
"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 USTA’s stance is equally direct. In a statement, 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."
Since the Osaka incident, the messaging has hardened. Screens around the grounds now flash reminders to "refrain from any activity that could disrupt the game, including noise levels, flash photography and ring lights".
The question hanging over this US Open is not whether tennis can live with influencers. It already does. The real test is whether the sport can turn Arthur Ashe into a content playground and still preserve the one thing players have always asked for when the ball is tossed into the air.
Silence.
