Will influencers, weed smokers and midpoint talkers bring down the US Open?

The first thing noticeable from the upper tiers of Arthur Ashe Stadium is the noise. Ventilation units hum outside, trains clack along the Long Island Rail Road, forklifts unload supplies, and aircraft descend toward LaGuardia. Below, spectators carry on loud conversations about work, family, romance and dinner, sometimes through an entire match.

New York is noisy, and the US Open has traditionally embraced that character. The tournament’s brashness has helped distinguish it from the Australian Open, Wimbledon and Roland-Garros. Fans have complained about the New York crowd for decades. But this year, the noise at the noisy Grand Slam has become “A Problem.”

Influencers have taken much of the blame. One creator filming with a ring light caused a brief stoppage during Naomi Osaka’s first-round match. A group of dancing TikTokers went viral during a match, and players have complained that spectators more interested in filming themselves than watching tennis create distractions.

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A Problem

The complaints go beyond social media personalities. Jakub Menšik had a drunk spectator ejected during his loss to Learner Tien. Aryna Sabalenka complained about the persistent smell of weed during her victory over Kamilla Rakhimova. “It’s become a bit of a zoo,” journeyman Adrian Mannarino said of the atmosphere.

The grounds have also felt oppressively crowded. Fans stare at their phones, jostle through long lines and seem unaware of the space around them while waiting for courts, drinks, expensive sandwiches and free deodorant. The article presents this behavior as part of a broader problem, arguing that technology and commerce have made public culture more poisonous. Changing the US Open’s atmosphere, it suggests, would require changing the society that produced it.

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It’s become a bit of a zoo