Naomi Osaka has welcomed the growing presence of influencers at the US Open but believes organisers need to ensure content creators understand and respect the traditions of the sport.
The former world No. 1 made the comments after defeating Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 to reach the third round of the tournament.
Asked about the United States Tennis Association’s decision to give more media credentials to influencers, Osaka acknowledged that their involvement could help tennis reach new audiences.
“If you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport,” she said, stressing the importance of learning the rules and etiquette before attending.
Osaka said there were “huge positives” to having creators promote tennis to their followers, but argued that their involvement needed to be better managed.
Her comments followed an incident during her first-round match against Anastasia Zakharova, when chair umpire Kader Nouni stopped play and asked spectators to quieten down.
The USTA issued nearly 100 media credentials to content creators for this year’s tournament, an increase from 2025, as part of efforts to broaden the sport’s digital reach.
Osaka said she supported growing the game’s audience, but maintained that attracting new fans should not come at the expense of proper match etiquette.
