NEW YORK — Jessica Pegula thinks influencer behavior at the US Open this year is starting to go too far.
The world No. 3 player was asked Wednesday about crowd etiquette at the tournament following multiple viral videos of influencers using lights during matches at Arthur Ashe, and said she feels it’s “gotten a little maybe too much” this year.
“People are down there trying to perform, and it’s their career and their job,” Pegula said after winning her second-round match Wednesday. “And it seems a bit disrespectful.”
Pegula, who is known as one of the most active player representatives on the tour, said she understands that influencers can bring attention to the sport
“I think I can appreciate the influencers coming and kind of showcasing the US Open experience,” Pegula said “I think that’s something that the US Open has utilized a lot as far as food and drinks and things to do and the shops. That part is part of a fan experience and something that people might not know and make them want to go.”
But she draws the line when they are disrupting play: “I can appreciate one side of it, but I think we have the other side literally interrupting matches, it gets a little tough.”
Pegula’s comments come just weeks after she told FOS she believes influencers have helped “grow the sport.”
“They’ve brought a lot of eyes to the sport and made it more trendy. We’re seeing tennis as having kind of its crossover Hollywood moment, you’re seeing more fashion and celebrities at a lot of these big tournaments,” Pegula said earlier this month.
Aryna Sabalenka, the No. 1 ranked women’s player, also voiced her support for influencers when asked by FOS last week: “I love it, I love it. It’s more eyes on [our] sport.”
Former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev said Wednesday he thinks the added attention on tennis thanks to content creators has “more upside than downside.”
“In general, the more the sport grows, the better it is,” Medvedev said. “So I would say this way: I trust USTA with what they are doing. For sure, if it disturbs during the play, like if you see the light or something … But I’m pretty sure as well, even then, maybe one time they do it, and then someone tells them not to do it.”
But some former players are more hesitant, particularly because of rising ticket prices.
“It’s maybe not the greatest thing for the real tennis fan because they’ve started getting priced out of the market,” Patrick McEnroe told FOS last week.
Genie Bouchard told FOS last week that she has “two minds” about influencers.
“I obviously want everyone who wants to go to [the US Open] to be able to go, and true fans to be able to watch. So if it’s more brands or influencers or taking up these spots, then there’s a bit of sadness to that,” Bouchard said.
The USTA did not respond to a question about whether it was considering banning spectators from bringing equipment, such as ring lights and flash cameras. However, US Open head of communications Brendan McIntyre told FOS the tournament is reminding attendees to “refrain from any activity that can disrupt the action” in a number of ways, including “in advance of event emails to ticket holders, notifications to suite holders, and messagings on video boards.”
“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 when they occur,” McIntyre added.
