Influencer boom at US Open tests boundaries of tennis etiquette

NEW YORK, Sept 3 : Influencers and content creators armed with smartphones and ring lights have featured prominently in the stands at this year's U.S. Open, as they try to grab the spotlight away from the on-court action at one of tennis' marquee events.

Around 100 content creators were given credentials for the tournament, organisers said, with 20 of those dedicated to providing coverage of the food and beverage scene alone, where caviar-topped chicken nuggets and the famed "Honey Deuce" cocktail promise viral attention. 

Thousands more amateur social media hounds can be found throughout the plaza and in the stands - after shelling out for their own tickets.

"I feel like every slam kind of has their own identity and the U.S. Open has kind of always been the 'big-show Grand Slam'," said the 2017 finalist Madison Keys.

'A BIT DISRESPECTFUL'

Celebrities have long been ubiquitous in the stands - from A-list stars to U.S. President Donald Trump - as the ultra-wealthy shell out thousands of dollars for seats at the see-and-be-seen event of New York's summer sporting calendar.

But the growing love affair between influencers and the premier American tennis event has caused some growing pains. 

A chair umpire was forced to reprimand a group of patrons for staging a disruptive photo shoot while two-time U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka was serving during her first-round win against Anastasia Zakharova on Monday. 

"Obviously if you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport," Osaka told reporters on Thursday after her second round win over Katerina Siniakova. 

"It could be a good thing for people to make the sport of tennis popular to their specific audience, but I think it has to be managed a lot better, especially in the