The US Open is making a stark entry into their influencer era. The tournament recently announced that they are doubling down on the number of creator accreditations for this edition of the event, increasing from 54 in 2025 to over 100 in 2026. However, the move has left die-hard fans anything but thrilled.
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Using content creators is a way for the US Open to increase viewership among younger audiences and people who are not hardcore tennis fans. The tournament did not limit itself to sports but included creators from all fields, such as health, fashion, and lifestyle. The move, even though innovative, was successful, as it contributed to almost 5.5 million social media engagements, which helped increase total attendance to over 1.14 million.
The influx of influencers might not be welcome by the traditional tennis fans, but it has steadily contributed to the growth in revenue. Last year, US Open sales crossed the $550 million mark, indicating that the event is not just limited to the court but has transformed into an overall experience.
Over the last few years, the Honeydeuce, priced at $23 has transformed from being just a cocktail to a symbol of the US Open. Over 500,000 units of Honeydeuce were sold in 2024, with the 2025 edition seeing over 730,000 units being sold, earning $17 million in profits for the USTA.
With increased engagement on social media, attendance and glamor at the US Open have grown every year, with A-list celebrities in attendance at almost every match. Back in 2024, the men’s singles final between Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz was watched by the iconic duo of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, which was an instant hit on social media.
Letting influencers be part of the tournament has also allowed sponsors to increase the reach of their products. Some brands even give content creators access to the corporate lounges at Arthur Ashe, ensuring maximum visibility.
The increase in popularity in turn leads to an increase in ticket prices, so that the tournament can keep securing record-breaking revenues. While influencers get the benefit of courtside seats and access to VIP lounges, the general public has struggled to get ground passes for the tournament, with resale prices north of $363.
As a result, the frustration of fans at the event’s practice of handing out tickets to people who are not hardcore fans is not unjustified.
The content creators were given varying levels of access last year, something that ticketed spectators often don’t get. The creators were given courtside seats so they could capture the live action and share it with thousands of their followers. Like traditional media, content creators have their own designated media zones during the tournament, along with backstage access to player tunnels and practice courts.
While this year’s content creators will have the freedom to create the content they choose, there will be a team of 15-20 content creators on the US Open’s payroll, helping them improve on last year’s 3.1 billion social media interactions. YouTube is the main platform of focus for the tournament, which introduced the “Rally the Burroughs” series, following the success of the “Game Set Matchmaker” series from last year.
It’s not only the US Open, but other Slams have also recognized the commercial value and reach of content creators. Back in 2023, even Wimbledon, which is considered the most traditional of the four Slams, hired Morgan Riddle, an influencer making a name for herself in tennis as Taylor Fritz’s partner. Riddle did a small series of titles, “Wimbledon Threads,” which attempted to bring fashion and tennis together.
However, tennis star John Isner was against the influencer culture making its way into Wimbledon. “It’s just got so much history and tradition. I don’t really feel like you need all that influencing there,” he said.
Despite the US Open’s innovative new direction, fans are not having it, blaming the tournament for putting commercial interests over the public interest.
US Open Gets Fan Backlash for Content Creator Decision
Amid massive price hikes, fans on social media slammed the US Open for the decision to let more content creators, spots that could have been given to the public. “It won’t matter when hundreds of thousands of fans pay exorbitant ticket prices thanks in part to price gouging by the USTA, but the cabal that runs the US Open is particularly skilled at doing things to detract for an exceptional event,” said a fan on X.
Another fan said, “No event has more completely lost the plot than the US Open…went from being an actually fun nyc summer event to the most over commercialized/thirstiest/most ridiculously overpriced thing out there…legit bummer.”
Another fan made a sarcastic jibe at the ticketing situation, saying, “So that’s why the average fan can’t get a ticket,” while another fan had a more blunt take, saying, “RIP US Open.”
Understandably, traditional tennis fans did not welcome the introduction of content creators, with one of them saying, “Nasty work by the @USTA, I don’t need influencers who don’t know shit about the game to show me the game.”
Even with fan backlash, the US Open does not seem to be slowing down in its partnerships with content creators, as it has decided to let creators work with traditional media teams this year and has opened its doors to podcasters as well.