Things haven’t been completely smooth at Flushing Meadows this year.
Influencers Meg Radice and Audrey Jongens, who run the social media account The VIP List, claimed on Friday that they were removed from the U.S. Open just two hours after sharing photos of their credentials online.
They had received their credentials through a collaboration with a restaurant and were excited about creating content over a two-week period, which they described as a “dream” opportunity.
However, the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) stated that Radice and Jongens weren’t properly accredited from the beginning.
The USTA clarified in a statement that, “These individuals were not credentialed as media or content creators. They were incorrectly submitted for credentials on a staff list provided by a food vendor. Vendors are not allowed to credential media or content creators as part of their staff.”
They also mentioned, “We review credentials throughout the tournament to ensure compliance with all US Open policies. Once we found out that these individuals had been improperly credentialed, we revoked their access and reminded vendors of our policy.”
Although Radice and Jongens lacked media credentials, the terms of their passes explicitly stated that they were not permitted to take and share photos online.
This incident adds to a series of controversies surrounding influencers at this year’s U.S. Open. Known for its lively atmosphere, the final Grand Slam of the tennis calendar has seen some players and spectators reacting to distracting behavior.
An example of this occurred on Monday, when a chair umpire stopped the first-round match between Naomi Osaka and Anastasia Zakharova to address a group of influencers in a suite who were using bright floodlights to film themselves during play.
A public notice was subsequently issued at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, requesting attendees to “please refrain from the use of flash photography or other lighting during match play. Thank you and enjoy the tennis!”
American player Jessica Pegula shared her perspective, commenting, “I can appreciate one side of it, but when you have the other side literally interrupting matches, it becomes a bit tough.”
According to both the tournament organizers and the influencers, Radice and Jongens did not create any significant disruptions beyond the credentialing issue during their brief time at the event.
