The United States Tennis Association (USTA) reportedly made a controversial request prior to President Donald Trump’s 2025 US Open appearance.
According to an email obtained by Bounces, the association asked broadcasters to censor any crowd reaction, be it boos or cheers, to Trump’s attendance at the Sunday, September 7, US Open men’s final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
“With respect to Broadcast Coverage, the President will be shown on the World Feed and the Ashe Court Feed during the opening anthem ceremony,” the email reportedly read in part. “We ask all broadcasters to refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President’s attendance in any capacity, including ENG [Electronic News Gathering] coverage.”
The email reportedly also included the USTA’s US Open social media policy and “talking points and additional facts regarding the President’s visit.” The only talking point attached, according to the outlet, was a statement saying that “President Trump is planning to watch the US Open Men’s Singles Final from a suite as a sponsor guest.”
Despite the reported request, fans could be heard loudly booing and cheering as the president was shown outside of the Rolex box, waving to the crowd. He quickly stepped back inside the box to watch the finals match, which was scheduled to begin at 2:00 pm EST but was significantly delayed due to extensive security measures.
“As a result of the security measures in place, and to ensure that fans have additional time to get to their seats, we have pushed the start time of today’s match to 2:30 pm EST,” the official X account for the US Open posted on Sunday. Additional social media posts showed pictures of long lines outside various security checkpoints around the stadium.
“Not the seats we’d planned on,” one fan wrote via X, along with a photo showing a long queue of people waiting to get through security to attend the match.
This year’s US Open has featured a few controversial moments. On August 29, Polish CEO Peter Szczerk went viral after he was caught on camera snatching a hat initially given to a young boy by Polish tennis player Kamil Majchrzak.
After significant online backlash, Szczerk issued an apology to the child.
“Today I know that I did something that looked like I deliberately took a souvenir from a child,” the businessman wrote via Instagram. “It wasn’t my intention, but that doesn’t change the fact that I hurt the boy and disappointed the fans.”
Szczerk, the CEO of Drogruk, a Polish company specializing in paving and landscaping solutions, continued, “The cap was given to the boy, and an apology is due to the family. I hope that I have at least partially repaired the harm.”
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