Influencers at the US Open Challenge Tennis Etiquette

The 2023 US Open, held from August 28 to September 10 in Flushing Meadows, showcased a stark contrast. Players like Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff aimed for victory while influencers captured moments with their phones, curating content for TikTok and Instagram. This shift sparked debates about tennis etiquette and the changing nature of spectatorship.

Tennis thrives on tradition. Silence during serves and applause between points are crucial. However, this year, disruptions shifted focus from players to the stands. One incident during a first-round match drew ire when an influencer provided loud commentary for their phone camera, prompting a glance from the umpire. Has tennis spectatorship fundamentally changed?

While influencers are not new to live sports, tennis’s strict etiquette presents unique challenges. "We encourage enthusiasm from attendees," said Stacey Allaster, the US Open’s tournament director. "But we also expect that enthusiasm to align with the sport’s long-standing traditions." For many, these traditions define tennis. The influencer culture, with its focus on attention, seems at odds with values of focus and decorum.

From a business perspective, the influx of influencers at events like the US Open reflects tennis’s awareness of its evolving fanbase. According to a report by the USTA, ticket sales for the 2023 tournament reached record highs, driven by younger audiences attracted by digital promotion. Celebrities like Emma Chamberlain and viral TikToks from fashion influencer Wisdom Kaye blurred the lines between tennis and Instagrammable moments. The US Open’s TikTok account gained over 50,000 followers during the tournament, many drawn by influencer collaborations.

The rise of smartphones courtside raises a complex question: who is the stadium for? Players like Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams have long discussed the energy exchange between fans and athletes. The collective support during rallies forms an intangible ecosystem. Some players embrace social media. Daniil Medvedev joked in a press conference about appreciating memes of his matches. Others, like Nick Kyrgios, have expressed frustration over distractions from incessant recording.

This debate reflects broader cultural shifts in sports consumption. Major League Baseball has introduced ‘social media sections’ in some stadiums, encouraging influencer content creation. Could tennis adopt a similar approach? Such a move risks compromising the sport’s ethos while potentially reinforcing feelings of exclusion among spectators already critical of tennis’s elitism.

“It’s not just etiquette; it’s about identity,” said Laura Samson, a sports historian at Columbia University. “Tennis wants to be relevant to younger audiences without alienating its core base. The question is whether these can coexist or if one will inevitably overshadow the other.”

Fans’ reactions illustrate this balancing act. Some argue that influencers democratize access to tennis, making it more appealing to those who might not attend otherwise. Others see it as a dilution of the sport’s essence. Commenters on social media expressed mixed feelings. "They’re making it a spectacle, not a sport," one user wrote under a viral video of an influencer posing courtside.

The culture clash is evident both digitally and at the venue. Hashtags like #USOpenStyle and #TennisTok trended across platforms, accruing millions of views. The paradox is clear: while influencers may elevate tennis’s popularity, they could also distance it from its roots.

As the tournament concluded on September 10 with Gauff claiming her first Grand Slam title, the implications of influencer presence linger. Is this a fleeting trend or a sign of lasting change for tennis? The USTA has yet to address influencer activity formally, but whispers suggest guidelines may emerge before 2024. Would spectators accept a more regulated environment, or would enforcement exacerbate divisions?

For now, tennis stands at a crossroads of tradition and modernity. The ritual of quieting the crowd before a serve now competes with the flash of phone cameras. Whether this tension will redefine the sport or simply mark a phase remains uncertain. The overarching question for tennis—and sports in general—is whether tradition serves as a boundary or a bridge.