Influencers have been put on notice by a major sporting event following a wild display at the US Open.
Tennis etiquette was taken for a ride when four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka took to the court in her first-round match against Anastasia Zakharova last week.
While the star looked for the best angle to serve, content creators were also assessing their best angle for content.
The display was so disruptive that the chair umpire had to issue several warnings and pause play.
“Guys, please, in the suite behind me, please, thank you guys, please take your seat,” the chair umpire scolded.
Tennis dictates total silence from the crowd during games to ensure players are able to focus.
Osaka addressed the disruption in a post-match press conference urging fans to “respect the sport”.
“The umpire. She told everyone to be quiet more than I’ve ever heard an umpire tell a crowd to be quiet,” the tennis star said.
“I do think in my first match, there was a moment where there was like people shouting and stuff and you could hear it quite clearly.”
Tennis spectator Katherine Finch attended the game, filming some of the chaos, before posting it to social media to call out the boisterous display.
“Influencers all over the stadium started taking photos and videos after the first set, getting up and moving to better spots for their photos and videos, blocking other people’s views and making noise,” she told news.com.au.
“This was all over the stadium, and flashes and ring lights could be seen everywhere.”
The tennis fan has been attending the US Open for more than a decade and has never seen anything quite like it.
“I was more worried about Naomi’s ability to focus and enjoy her match, she managed to pull out a victory, but she shouldn’t have to worry about being blinded by someone’s ring light during her serve,” Ms Finch pointed out.
“These players work so hard and so many people paid so much money to come watch these matches; influencers who go for free should be respectful of the players and the fans around them.”
Her comment section seemed to echo her perspective.
“I hate how influencers are taking over tennis; they probably don’t even care about the sport,” a user commented
“The influencers are going to post about this and say ‘story time on how I was disrespected at a tennis match’ and ‘Why I’m never going to another sports match again,’” another said.
A third added: “The US Open has lost the plot.”
Ms Finch believes businesses who invite the creators hold a big portion of the responsibility.
“If you’re going to give influencers tickets and access, you need to make sure they are prepared and informed about the event and the rules they need to follow there,” she said.
“I LOVE that social media means more people can get involved in tennis, but we need to remember to be in the moment and to be respectful of those around us.”
The drama has now inspired Wimbledon organisers to avoid a similar display altogether, instructing influencers to leave the ring lights at home, or risk them being confiscated at the next event in June 2027.
While the US Open offered accreditation to 100 content creators alongside media, it’s understood Wimbledon will not have any accreditation available for influencers at all.
The US Open as also taken measures to revoke the access for two influencers who posted their credentials online in a video.