A group of social media influencers disrupted Japanese Naomi Osaka's match in the first round of the US Open tennis tournament, Flushing Meadows, after they held a surprise photo session while she was playing. Which prompted the chair referee to intervene and ask them to sit.
According to the British newspaper The Telegraph, Osaka was preparing to serve at a 40-40 tie in the fourth game of the second set against Russian Anastasia Zakharova, when chair umpire Kader Nouni was forced to address a group of attendees who were causing a distraction.
Circulating footage showed a woman using lighting to take a picture of one of the attendees in one of the hospitality areas, while other people were moving and taking pictures during the match.
Noni interjected, saying: “Guys, please, in the suite behind me... Thank you, please sit down.”
Footage filmed by a spectator showed another group posing for photos, while a person who appeared to be a stadium worker carried a portable light to assist them.
One of the attendees criticized the incident via TikTok, stressing that tennis viewing etiquette requires not leaving the seats during points, at a time when lighting and photography sessions are now taking place during play in the US Open.
@katticuspfinch
Tennis etiquette is that you don’t even GET UP IN THE MIDDLE OF A POINT but now at @US Open apparently it’s ring lights and photo shoots everywhere in the MIDDLE OF A POINT. Listen, I love bringing new people to the open and I’m all for getting more people into tennis because it’s such a fun sport to watch but if you’re going to disrespect the players, you shouldn’t come to the match. And I LOVE content creators bringing tennis to everyone on social media but if you’re not going to be respectful of the game being played thats NOT OKAY. Yyou can see ring lights from all over the stadium and the umpire and players made it very clear that it’s a HUGE DISTRACTION and it’s now impacting the players ability to play the game we are all here to see. And apparently the us open and USTA are just fine with it because their staff is helping it happen. @influencersinthewild @Tennis Channel #nyccontentcreator #naomiosaka #usopen #tennistiktok #usopentennis
♬ original sound - There I Ruined It
He stressed that he welcomes new fans attending the tournament, as well as content makers who contribute to spreading tennis through social media, but this should not come at the expense of respect for the players or affect their ability to play matches.
After the photo session ended, Osaka returned to serving, but she had difficulty throwing the ball correctly, and apologized to her opponent before losing the point, giving Zakharova the advantage in the game.
The incident did not prevent Osaka, twice crowned US Open champion, from deciding the match in two sets without a response. She defeated the world number 101 after two tiebreaks.
In response to the incident, the head of communications at the US Open said: “We want our fans and guests to have a wonderful time when attending the tournament, and at the same time we must ensure that this does not interfere with the play and competition on the court.”
He added: “These cases rarely happen, and just as crowd noise rises to a certain level, chair rulers have the authority to address the crowd and intervene when such cases occur.”
Traditional tennis norms require that fans remain calm between points, and that spectators do not leave their seats or enter the stands except when players switch sides of the court, but the atmosphere at the US Open is often different from that.
The two main stadiums, the Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadiums, are known for their noisier atmosphere, especially during the night matches, as some attendees seem more interested in appearing in the tournament than following the matches themselves.
Sometimes it gets to the point at Louis Armstrong Stadium that its atmosphere looks like a restaurant court with a tennis match in the middle.
Last year, the level of noise prompted Briton Jacob Fearnley to ask a referee during one of his matches whether the atmosphere was really supposed to be “that loud”.
Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko announced on Thursday that he will retire from international football next month, bringing down the curtain on a busy career that spanned nearly two decades with his country's national team.
The 40-year-old striker, who is currently playing for Schalke 04 and has previously played for prominent clubs such as Manchester City, Roma and Inter Milan, said that his last match for Bosnia and Herzegovina will be against Sweden in the European Nations League, on October 2nd.
Gekko wrote on his Instagram account: “During my entire career, I have never felt a sense of pride comparable to the one I felt whenever I wore my country’s national team shirt.”
He added: “This was my childhood dream, the dream that accompanied me in every one of the 151 matches during which I had the honor of representing Bosnia and Herzegovina. “It is difficult for me to believe that nearly 20 years have passed since my first match against Türkiye.”
He continued: “Many things have changed, and I have changed too, but my love for this shirt has never changed. Today, I feel it is time to turn the page. If I continued to defend the national team’s colors until the age of forty, it was because I gave everything I had in every match, without any hesitation or sparing effort.”
Dzeko played his first international match in 2007, and scored 73 goals in 151 matches, becoming the player who participated most in the Bosnia and Herzegovina jersey, and the team’s historical top scorer.
Dzeko helped his country reach the World Cup for the first time in its history in 2014, and he also played a prominent role in its journey in the 2026 World Cup, when the team reached the round of 32.
Federico Dimarco, the left back of Inter Milan, appeared disappointed that his contract was not renewed, during the Italian Professional Players Association Awards ceremony.
DeMarco won the Most Valuable Player award; For his prominent role in winning Inter Milan the “League” title, 11 points ahead of Napoli, he also previously won the Best Player Award in the “Italian League” during two separate ceremonies last May.
The Inter Milan star said during the ceremony: “I was hoping to renew my contract after last season.”
Yesterday, Wednesday, Inter Milan announced the appointment of Dario Pacín as the new sporting director, replacing veteran Piero Ausilio.
DeMarco commented, saying: “I did not expect this decision, but I read it after training. I have a very good relationship with Ausilio, and we have achieved many achievements together.”
Demarco did not hint at his desire to leave Inter Milan, when he spoke about Barcelona's Spanish interest in including him.
Demarco, one of Inter Milan's youth, said: "I'm happy to have my name associated with old clubs, but my history is with Inter. I grew up in this club."
Demarco is participating as a starter for the sixth consecutive season, after being loaned between a number of clubs.
The Inter Milan star was chosen among the four best defenders in the “League”, along with his two colleagues at Inter. Alessandro Bastoni, Manuel Akanji, and Marco Balestra, the Cagliari player who recently moved to Chelsea.
Lautaro Martinez (Inter), Nico Paz (Como), and Donnel Malen (Roma) were chosen as the best striker, while the trio of Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter), Scott McTominay (Napoli), and Luka Modric (Milan) won the title of best midfielder, and the best goalkeeper award went to Mile Svilar, a Roma player.
Spaniard Cesc Fabregas won the Best Coach award, after he led Como to qualify for the Champions League.
Paz (21 years old) won the award for the best young player in the “Italian League”, while Mattia Liberal (19 years old), a Catanzaro player who recently transferred to Como, won the award for the best young player in the “Second Division”.
Francisco Conceicao's wonderful goal for Juventus against Roma was chosen as the "Goal of the Season."
All awards were chosen by players' votes, with the exception of the Goal of the Season award, which was chosen by fans' votes.
