Entitled influencers treating the US Open like their personal movie sets are ruining the action for real fans
The lasting image of this year’s US Open won’t be one of any international superstar tennis player triumphantly hoisting a handcrafted Tiffany trophy in the air.Rather it will be of an unidentified, fed-up fan covering his face with his hand out of sheer exasperation, as a group of influencers in a luxury suite above him loudly acted out a Kim Kardashian quote — “Hey, guys.We’re back.
Did you miss us? Because we missed you” — complete with a loud “woooo!”They were, of course, performing to a camera with a ring light.Never mind that Naomi Osaka and Anastasia Zakharova were in the middle of playing.The ruckus this group created inside of Arthur Ashe Stadium caused the umpire to stop play and reprimand them for the disruption.As the moment went viral on X, many of us found rare consensus.We are all this man.We’re all sick of influencers invading and spoiling everything with their narcissistic preening and faux “discoveries” of already well-known spots.
In recent years, these ego-centric fools have also started flooding sporting events and taking the focus away from the main draw.The US Open has always had its own vibrant Big Apple flavor, as opposed to the stuffy atmosphere of, say, Wimbledon.But now, groups of people unwilling to follow basic tennis etiquette has become the story.“Today the umpire told everyone to be quiet more than I’ve ever heard an umpire tell a crowd to be quiet,” Osaka said after her Monday match.
At the same one, another influencer in polka dots was seen posing for photos being taken with a ring light during play.Jessica Pegula, who is currently ranked No.3 in the world, said influencer behavior has “become a little too much this year.” That’s an understatement.“People are down there trying to perform.
It’s their career and their job.It seems a bit disrespectful,” she added of players like her.Part of the blame can be laid at the feet of the USTA, which has nearly doubled the number of credentials...