The U.S. Open has become one of New York’s hottest places to see and be seen. But the tennis players and tennis fans would occasionally like people to watch the tennis.
Players at this year’s tournament have complained about an influx of influencers and content creators disrupting matches with photo shoots, bright lights and videos. Meanwhile, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka stopped play Friday for a distinctly New York complaint: Someone was smoking weed.
“Someone is smoking weed,” Sabalenka told the chair umpire during her third-round match against Kamilla Rakhimova at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Play resumed and Sabalenka won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
The interruption follows growing debate over the atmosphere surrounding this year’s U.S. Open, where the number of credentialed content creators has doubled from last year.
During Naomi Osaka‘s match against Anastasia Zakharova, a group in a luxury suite staged a photo shoot that included bright lights while play was underway, leading the chair umpire to intervene.
Coco Gauff said she welcomes the new audiences influencers can bring to tennis but suggested brands inviting them to matches might want to provide a crash course in tennis etiquette.
“I think the brands should just educate them on tennis etiquette,” Gauff said.
Jessica Pegula was less enthusiastic, calling some of the behavior “disrespectful.”
The U.S. Tennis Association has leaned into the Open’s status as a cultural event as well as an athletic one. Celebrity appearances, fashion and social media have become increasingly prominent parts of the tournament’s identity.
Influencers have ruined the US Open for actual tennis fans. pic.twitter.com/IoJmzbh8N6
— Jack Mac (@JackMac) September 2, 2026
That strategy has undoubtedly brought attention to the sport. It has also created an unusual problem when the spectacle in the seats begins competing with the one on the court.
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Tennis has always attracted a fashionable crowd, and attending a major sporting event has never been solely about the sport. But this year’s complaints recall another era of New York society, when the best seats at the opera were as much about being seen in the box as seeing what was happening onstage. (Fans of a certain HBO show would know.)
The opera house, at least, didn’t have TikTok.
As for the marijuana, officials were unable to locate anyone smoking inside the stadium. Sabalenka didn’t appear particularly interested in policing what New Yorkers do in their spare time as recreational use is legal in the state.
Just, preferably, not while she’s serving.
