The US Open initially invited nearly 100 social media influencers to help expand the tournament’s audience reach. That strategy quickly backfired as several content creators faced massive backlash for displaying blatantly disrespectful behavior toward the players. The United States Tennis Association recently escalated the situation by formally stripping the credentials from two prominent digital personalities.
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Meg Radice and Audrey Jongens, the creators behind the popular Instagram account “The VIP List,” recently lost their exclusive access after posting images of their tournament credentials online.
“Literally, I would go with anyone. Anyone who wants to take us; it doesn’t even have to be a brand. I’ll go with a random person. Yeah, I’ll go with an old man. I don’t give a f***… The USTA, if you hear this, please let us come back. Let us go,” the devastated duo pleaded.
They explicitly begged the organization to reconsider the decision after abruptly losing their highly anticipated two-week access. Getting tournament credentials was supposed to be a dream come true for the two longtime tennis fans behind The VIP List, who had planned to spend the full two weeks covering their favorite event. Their unexpected ejection stemmed directly from an immediate social media celebration following their arrival.
The pair partnered with one of their favorite restaurants during this year’s tournament and immediately shared photos of their credentials on Instagram Stories out of excitement. They then headed out for dinner and drinks, believing they had the entire two weeks ahead of them, only to be told roughly two hours later that their access was officially revoked.
“We really had no idea that we were doing anything wrong by posting the credentials, and if we had known, we wouldn’t have done it,” the creators admitted. The severe timing made the disciplinary action especially devastating for their planned coverage schedule.
“We canceled all of our plans. We were supposed to be there for the full two weeks. This is actually not really embarrassing but devastating,” said the influencers regarding the fallout.
While acknowledging the growing backlash against content creators at the event, they maintained that they harbor no hostility toward tournament organizers.
“There is no beef… It’s literally our favorite sporting event… We are crying about it,” they explained.
This high-profile credential dispute highlights a much broader behavioral clash currently unfolding across the tournament grounds.
This US Open is an influencer disaster
The USTA’s massive influencer initiative sparked severe widespread outrage as videos surfaced showing content creators ignoring basic tennis etiquette. Spectators actively filmed TikTok content and utilized bright selfie lights while professional athletes were competing directly below them. This massive environmental disturbance eventually forced the actual players to address the growing controversy.
American superstar Jessica Pegula acknowledged the inherent value of showcasing the broader tournament experience to non-traditional tennis fans.
“I think I can appreciate the influencers coming and kind of showcasing, like, the US Open experience,” Pegula said.
She quickly pivoted to heavily criticize the specific disruptive behaviors occurring during live competition.
“But I do think that it’s tough when you see videos like that when they’re taking pictures and using the selfie lights,” Pegula explained. “People are down there trying to perform, and it’s their career and their job. It seems like a bit disrespectful. I think it’s gotten a little maybe too much.”
Fellow competitor Daniil Medvedev echoed support for growing the game, stating, “The more we try to raise awareness about tennis, the better it is.” These massive environmental disruptions peaked during a high-profile opening match.
The situation became entirely unmanageable during Naomi Osaka’s first-round clash against Anastasia Zakharova. A corporate hospitality suite generated so much noise that chair umpire Kader Nouni officially paused the match to directly reprimand the spectators.
“Obviously if you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport,” Osaka noted afterward. The former champion emphasized that basic etiquette must remain intact regardless of the new audience.
“I feel like it’s common courtesy to, like, read up on the sport, especially, like, the etiquette,” Osaka stated.
She explicitly confirmed that the excessive shouting actively bothered Zakharova during their intense opening-round battle. The professional tennis community clearly expects these new digital spectators to quickly adapt to the sport’s traditional behavioral standards.