Trump Distracts from US Open Final

Alcaraz (right) beat Sinner to win the US Open this afternoon

The men's singles final at the US Open started 45 minutes late this afternoon because American President Donald Trump attended the match so all the spectators had to go through intense security checks.

At first it was delayed 30 minutes, and then another 15, and then the show had to start despite hundreds of people still waiting to get into Arthur Ashe Stadium. 

One man from Brooklyn who works for a private equity firm waited over an hour and 15 minutes and still had not reached the entrance, and blamed Trump for the delay.

Trump was sitting in the suite sponsored by Rolex

"One hundred percent him. Very selfish. I would expect someone like that to have a little bit more grace to know that an event like this would be held up for him being here, especially in a city that hates him," he said.

When Trump was shown on the big screens, there was a lot of boos and some cheers. He sat inside a suite along the sidelines of centre court, opposite the umpire's chair. 

The last time he attended the US Open was in 2015 and the booing was so loud that multiple media outlets wrote about the crowd's reaction. 

So there was an uproar yesterday when the United States Tennis Association in a memo asked broadcasters of the US Open to censor any protests or reaction to Trump's appearance.

"We ask all broadcasters to refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President's attendance in any capacity," the USTA said in the memo. It said Trump planned to watch the match from a suite as a guest of sponsor Rolex, prompting additional security for the event.

Despite the boos, Trump took some photo ops

"We regularly ask our broadcasters to refrain from showcasing off-court disruptions," USTA spokesman Brendan McIntyre said.

But many people were not pleased that this directive came down. Why was the USTA censoring people's reactions to Trump being in the stadium? 

As The Guardian's Bryan Armen Graham pointed out, world leaders have had negative reactions towards them at sporting events: 

"Crowd dissent on broadcasts is not a breakdown on civic order. It is its expression. Then UK home secretary Theresa May was booed at the 2012 London Paralympics. French president Emmanuel Macron was whistled during the 2023 Rugby World Cup opening ceremony in Paris. In the US, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is all but guaranteed a chorus of boos during public appearances, and that's practically a standing ovation next to the venom reserved for NHL commissioner Gary Bettman from fans. And Trump and his predecessor, Joe Biden, have been given hostile receptions by sports crowds. Somehow the United Kingdom, France and the United States survived those incidents intact," he wrote.

"That the USTA thinks Trump must be insulated from reality hints at something darker. It is reminiscent of regimes where the leader's image must be protected from public ridicule. It shows how much Trump's first term -- and his bullying of cultural institutions -- still shapes behaviour. In his first presidency, he was broadly reviled by athletes and sports bodies. Now, as Tom Dart wrote before this year's Super Bowl, he is increasingly accommodated or treated with silence."

A glum-looking Trump at the end of the match

Indeed. For the most part, Trump wants to be there for the attention. So let him have it. 

But really the attention should be focused on the two players, Italian Jannik Sinner and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz -- the latter prevailed in the end in an exhilarating match.

And when it was over, there was a quick camera glance at Trump. While everyone else was energised and clapping, he looked glum.