Naomi Osaka has a message for influencers at the US Open; here's what she said

The US Open wants to court a new generation of fans, but Naomi Osaka has a reminder for its growing influencer crowd

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has urged influencers at the US Open to respect tennis etiquette, days after her first-round match against Anastasia Zakharova was briefly disrupted by a noisy group filming content at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

Naomi Osaka

Her comments come as part of a wider backlash over the growing influencer presence at this year’s tournament, where bright ring lights, flashes and content shoots have drawn criticism from fans. The USTA (United States Tennis Association) has reportedly increased influencer media credentials to nearly 100 this year, from 54 in 2025, as it looks to make the event more social-media friendly.

Following her second round win over WTA world No. 1 in women’s doubles Katerina Siniakova on Thursday, at a post game press conference, Osaka said bringing new audiences to tennis could be positive, but added: “It has to be managed a lot better.” She stressed that spectators should “read up on the sport” and know its rules and etiquette. Recalling her first-round match, Osaka said the noise had become noticeable even on court. Osaka added: “I was going to say, today, the umpire told everyone to be quiet - more than I’ve ever heard an umpire tell a crowd to be quiet.” She also added, “There was a moment where there was people shouting and stuff, and you could hear it quite clearly,” she said. “I think it bothered my opponent, too.” While welcoming efforts to grow the sport, Osaka summed up her position: “I just think it has to be in a way that everyone knows the rules and the etiquette.”

World No. 3 Jessica Pegula has also weighed in earlier, telling FOS that some influencers were “trying to perform” for their careers and called the behaviour “a bit disrespectful”.