Content creators at U.S. Open spark fan etiquette debate
Content creators and influencers at the U.S. Open are sparking a debate about tennis fan etiquette.
In the middle of a point during Monday night's match between Naomi Osaka and Anastasia Zakharova, voices echoed throughout a quiet Arthur Ashe Stadium as some attendees shot a video on their phone cameras, with the flash on.
"They think they're at a baseball game or a football game, and it's different," said fan Jerry Kaufman, who was visiting from Florida. "These players are out there alone. It's not a team."
Another video shows a woman posing for a photo using a phone with a clip-on LED light during that same quiet point in the match.
An attendee named Katherine, who didn't wish to share her last name, was there, and said the umpire told the crowd, "Quiet, please, quiet."
"Then she, like, says, 'People in the suite with the light, the players are ready,'" Katherine said. "None of the ushers or anything are stopping them, which is wild."
Signage now displayed on a digital screen outside a stadium reads, "Please refrain from the use of flash photography or other lighting during match play. Thank you and enjoy the tennis!"
Brendan McIntyre with the U.S. Tennis Association said in a statement that the organization is excited that more new fans are attending the U.S. Open, but they need to ensure there is no interference with the action on the court.
"The US Open is notifying attendees in a number of different ways, reminding them to refrain from any activity that can disrupt the action. This includes in advance of event emails to ticket holders, notifications to suite holders, and messaging on our video boards, calling special attention to not utilize flash photography or other lighting devices," McIntyre said in a statement, in part. "It should be noted that these instances happen infrequently, and similar to when crowd noise reaches a certain level, our chair umpires have the ability to address the crowd if they occur."
"I'm a longtime tennis fan, so I think if someone's here who doesn't watch tennis, they don't necessarily understand that, and it's an honest mistake," content creator Oli Susskind said.
Susskind said she sympathizes with those who may just not be aware of the proper etiquette, but there's a time and a place for content creation.
Fans hope it's a lesson learned and that it won't get worse.
"There's pros and cons of content creation ... and we just have to learn to embrace it and use guardrails or etiquette," podcaster Mikayla Nissan said.
"They learn, and they change, and enjoy the game," said tennis fan Camille Johnson, who was visiting from Atlanta.
The right time to take pictures, videos and talk is during a match changeover or between points, which is also when a DJ is usually playing music.
