President Donald Trump was booed by some of the fans who were lucky enough to make it inside Arthur Ashe Stadium on time for the US Open men’s singles final. The championship match between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz was postponed by 30 minutes due to enhanced security for those entering the main showcourt, as a result of the president’s visit.
The 79-year-old stepped out into the Rolex suite before the players took to the court and waved to a mostly-empty crowd, receiving a mix of boos and cheers. President Trump was then shown on screen during a pre-walk on ceremony while the national anthem was being sung, and received a similar reception.
The president was not invited to the tournament by US Open organisers themselves, but by luxury Swiss watchmaker Rolex. This is his first visit to Flushing Meadows in a decade. It comes weeks after Trump imposed 39 per cent tariffs on all imported goods from Switzerland, including luxury watches.
Overnight, tournament organisers were forced to put additional security measures in place ahead of the Republican’s visit. Those entering Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday had to go through airport-style scanners.
It led to huge delays for fans trying to get in, and the match start time was postponed from 2pm local time to 2.30pm (7.30pm UK time).
“As a result of the security measures in place, and to ensure that fans have additional time to get to their seats, we have pushed the start time of today’s match to 2:30 pm ET,” the US Open tweeted shortly before the final was initially meant to get underway.
The enhanced security also affected staff and media personnel entering the grounds on Sunday, and they were asked to arrive early to avoid delays.
On Sky Sports, Laura Robson said: “There were a lot more security checks involved. There was a bit of confusion about whether we were going to be able to be on site after 9.30pm.
“That was mixed messaging. The fans were probably not expecting to go through airport security on Ashe, that was added in last night after the women’s final.
“They have paid really good money to be here for the men’s final so you want to make sure the crowd is packed and they get what they paid for.”
However, there were still thousands of punters outside when Sinner and Alcaraz eventually took to the court, roughly 40 minutes later than planned.
The mixed reaction inside Arthur Ashe Stadium comes after the USTA asked broadcasters not to air any disruptions relating to President Trumps’ attendance. An email obtained by Bounces read: “We ask all broadcasters to refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President’s attendance in any capacity, including ENG [Electronic News Gathering] coverage.”
But there were more boos when Trump was shown on the screen again at the end of the first set, and Robson didn’t shy away from the subject on Sky Sports’ coverage.
“People around me just going rather loud over the last few minutes as they’ve just shown Donald Trump on the big screen. A lot of boos. Some cheers for sure, but a lot of boos, and it was the noisiest I’ve heard this crowd so far,” she said.
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Content Source: www.express.co.uk