The ongoing dialogue around crowd etiquette and influencer culture at the 2026 US Open reached a fever pitch Friday, Sept. 4 when the U.S. Tennis Association (UTSA) revoked two content creators' credentials.
New York-based influencers Meg Radice and Audrey Jongens, who run the lifestyle brand The VIP List, which boasts more than 600K followers across Instagram and TikTok, claimed their credentials were revoked after posting a photo of their credentials online. Although posting credentials online is strictly prohibited by many organizations, the UTSA said that's not the reason the influencers' access to the tournament was withdrawn.
"These individuals were not credentialed as media or content creators," a spokesperson from the USTA said in a statement
to USA TODAY Friday. "They were improperly submitted for credentials on a staff list provided by a food vendor."
Radice and Jongens claimed they partnered with one of their favorite restaurants at the US Open, with plans to create content over the next two weeks.
"When we identified that these individuals had been improperly credentialed, their access was revoked and vendors were reminded of our policy," the UTSA added.
The fourth and final tennis Grand Slam of the calendar year has attracted a new legion of fans to Flushing Meadows, New York, including some influencers who have gone viral for the wrong reasons.
Naomi Osaka's first-round victory over Anastasia Zakharova, for example, was briefly paused earlier this week after a group of content creators filmed a TikTok video with a ring light during a point. The video quickly went viral online, along with others, sparking a debate on whether influencer culture helping or hindering the sort.
Osaka is split on the matter. She said the exposure that influencers can generate "could be a good thing ... to make the sport of tennis popular," but noted that the distractions have "to be managed a lot better."
"If you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport. I feel like it's common courtesy to read up on the sport," Osaka said Thursday, Sept. 3. "You want people to continue to grow the sport. I just think it has to be in a way that everyone knows the rules and the etiquette."
Jessica Pegula also weighed the pros and the cons. On one hand, Pegula said she can "appreciate the influencers coming and showcasing the US Open experience," from $100 caviar nuggets to the wildly popular Honey Deuce cocktail that help attract visitors to Billie Jean King National Tennis Cener each year.
But, Pegula said, it's getting to a point where it's "a bit disrespectful."
"I do think that it's tough when you see videos like that when they're taking pictures and using the selfie lights," Pegula said. "People are down there trying to perform. It's their career and their job. ... So, I think it's gotten a little maybe too much, it feels like this year. I don't know. I think again, I can appreciate one side of it, but I think when you have the other side literally interrupting matches, it gets a little tough."
Coco Gauff said its on the brands that invite the influencers to make sure their guests are up to date on the rules.
“Any venue you come to, you have to follow that etiquette towards it,” Gauff added Thursday. “I think it might be on some of the brands to, to maybe have a sign plastered in the suite so that they know because sometimes it’s their first tennis match. ... I definitely think no flash photography because that does bother (me)."
Contributing: Scooby Axon
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US Open pulls credentials for two influencers as etiquette dialogue heats up
