At the US Open, the crowd is becoming a threat to tennis etiquette

At the US Open, the spectacle in the stands is increasingly competing with the tennis on court. Influencers interrupt matches with flash photography and group video shoots, while the smell of marijuana has already forced top seed Aryna Sabalenka to stop playing.

The New York tournament has long been known for a crowd loud and unruly enough to test players’ sporting and mental limits. This year, however, the “creator culture” surrounding the event appears to be pushing those limits further. Influencers and their entourages stand up, shout and use flashes for Instagram and TikTok content, sometimes forcing umpires to intervene.

The traditional “Quiet please” has limited power in such situations. Officials must contend not only with noise, but also with movement in the aisles and groups gathering for photographs and recordings. The marijuana smell that interrupted Sabalenka’s match is part of the new normal at Flushing Meadows, where recreational use is legal in New York.

Players have largely responded with restraint. Naomi Osaka, known as one of tennis’s fashion figures, and Coco Gauff both said at news conferences that the attention from influencers could benefit the sport by bringing in new audiences. Gauff nevertheless argued that people should learn a sport’s etiquette and customs before attending a live match. Consideration for the athletes, she said, should be self-evident, while spectators who paid high ticket prices may also have little patience for disruptions.

Wimbledon is taking a harder line. Watching the behavior across the Atlantic, the All England club has indicated that it does not intend to embrace the content-creator trend. Ring lights spotted in the stands will be confiscated. The tournament is sticking with its familiar “Quiet please” approach for 2027.