Coco Gauff Defends Polarizing Influencer Takeover of US Open: ‘Grow the Sport’
Organizers say creator access is driving record engagement as U.S. Open social interactions rose from 2.3 billion to 3.1 billion.
- During the Open on Friday, Naomi Osaka's match was briefly halted when influencers in a luxury suite prioritized filming over play. An official requested they take their seats, allowing Osaka to defeat Anastasia Zakharova in straight sets.
- USTA CEO Craig Tiley aims to make the Open "tennis Disneyland," prompting the United States Tennis Association to issue 54 media credentials to creators in 2025 to engage audiences who discover events through social platforms.
- SportsVerse journalist Daniel-Yaw Miller wrote he "could barely focus on the action" amid influencers filming TikToks mid-point. Grounds passes resold for more than $300, pricing out many fans from the experience.
- Wong said "credentialing needs to come with guidelines," noting that without instructions, suite attendees "did the only thing they had a plan for, which was content about themselves." Her critique highlights the absence of operational structure.
- The incident reflects a broader shift: "every major sports property is fighting for attention from audiences who no longer discover events through traditional broadcast." Creator advertising is projected to reach $44 billion in 2026, explaining the competitive pressure.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Are all the influencers at the US Open a plague or a blessing for tennis? About a conflict that tells a lot about a changed society.
They film during the matches, romp in their own suite: with the help of so many social media stars as never before, the US Open wants to reach a new audience. How this changes the sport.
The US Open has long been known as "the biggest show in tennis," but this year the show is starting to annoy some of the people who came for the tennis itself. In the first days of the tournament, discontent among fans increased due to high prices and the behavior of some influencers in the stands. It got to the point that a referee had to intervene because of the use of a ring light during play, writes tenniskafe.com. One of the most striking c…
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