Every year at the U.S. Open, we have the same conversation about the crowd noise. The fans talk about it. The players get asked about it. Social media lights up with complaints.
Chair umpires regularly have to settle the New York crowds, and this year the cacophony appears to be escalating: During Naomi Osaka‘s first-round defeat of Anastasia Zakharova, the official admonished a group of spectators in a hospitality suite taking photos during match play, complete with custom lighting. Even the players noticed the disruption.
“I tell people I normally just focus on the match,” Osaka told reporters on Thursday, regarding the incident. “But there was a moment where there was, like, people shouting and stuff, and you could hear it quite clearly. I think it bothered my opponent, too.”
Yes, the U.S. Open is getting noisier. But at this point, no one should be surprised, and asking for a mute button is misguided.
I’ve been covering the U.S. Open for over a decade. The intensity of the racket—particularly on Arthur Ashe, the largest tennis stadium in the world—has increased in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s time to reset expectations around crowd behavior at the tournament: The U.S. Open is never going to be quiet and polite like Wimbledon, nor should it be.
