Lights. Camera. Quiet please…
When it comes to etiquette in tennis, there are a fair few unwritten rules.
Apologising after winning a point from a net cord. Honesty around line calls, double bounces and double-hits. Post-match handshakes.
As for the spectators, it is common courtesy not to disturb the players during points.
Around 100 influencers and content creators have been granted accreditation for the tournament in New York – double the amount from last year.
Their presence has led to debate over how to balance bringing tennis to a new, different audience while respecting the game’s etiquette.
“I definitely think it’s cool to have a new demographic and I definitely think it helps grow the sport,” world number four Coco Gauff said.
“But if you’re being invited to a red carpet, you wouldn’t show up in jeans.
“I think it’s just follow the etiquette of the sport. That’s all.”
During two-time champion Naomi Osaka’s first-round match on Arthur Ashe Stadium, one group held a photo shoot in their hospitality suite while play was going on.
The group turned on a portable ring light while Osaka was serving, leading to a reprimand from the umpire.
When Osaka returned on Thursday, the umpire had to remind the crowd several times to be quiet.
“Today the umpire told everyone to be quiet more than I’ve ever heard an umpire tell a crowd to be quiet,” Osaka said.
“I tell people I normally just focus on the match and the court, but there was a moment where there was people shouting and you could hear it quite clearly.
“I think it bothered my opponent, too.”
In one video, which has gone viral, a group can be seen speaking loudly as they film themselves during Osaka’s first-round match on Tuesday, which led to the chair umpire calling for them to stop.
“I think obviously if you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport,” Osaka said.
“I feel like it’s common courtesy to read up on the sport, especially the etiquette.
“It could be a good thing for people to make the sport of tennis popular to their specific audience, but I think it has to be managed a lot better, especially in the situation like my first-round match.
“Overall, I think there are huge positives. You want people to continue to grow the sport.
“I just think it has to be in a way that everyone knows the rules and the etiquette.”
