FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — President Donald Trump heard boos and cheers at his first U.S. Open appearance in a decade on Sunday, adding to a run of recent interactions with major sporting events as he sat next to the glittering silver trophy won by Carlos Alcaraz over Jannik Sinner.
Trump’s presence created logistical challenges for the last final of the Grand Slam calendar, prompting heavy lines for extra security and setting up several moments for fans to jeer or greet him. Yet his appearance at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center was as no more than a high-profile spectator, albeit one with a giant government entourage, a dedicated press pool and an ability to elicit boisterous, polarizing reactions.
That played right to the strengths of a championship crowd at Flushing Meadows.
Trump generated the loudest boos and some cheers when he was shown on the video boards at Arthur Ashe Stadium after the first set, and he mouthed the words “thank you” afterward. He interacted with some fans directly throughout the match, pointing at some who got his attention and grinning as others took selfies. He acknowledged the crowd several times, including when he first walked to the front of the Rolex suite with Jean-Frederic Dufour, the chief executive of the watch company, well before the match began as the crowd slowly assembled. He saluted during the playing of the U.S. national anthem and when shown on the video boards drew a cacophonous reaction that drowned out the singer until the screens returned to images of the court.
Viewers watching the match on television, though, got only fleeting glimpses of some of Trump’s moments, as organizers of the tournament sought to temper the visibility of reactions to the president.
Trump, seated just above the rail of the suite with a row of yellow flowers and the championship trophy to his left, was joined by several key members of his administration, with name tags on chairs for his adviser Jared Kushner, attorney general Pam Bondi, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Treasury secretary Scott Bessent and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
Ahead of the match, Trump posted on Truth Social to say he was flying above the tennis center, before issuing two more posts about windmills and the war in the Middle East. Before departing the White House for New York for the final, he told reporters he was not threatening Chicago when he said he would use the military to “clean up” the city.
President Donald Trump, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. attorney general Pam Bondi watch as attendees attempt to take selfies. (Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images)
After the second set, some fans crowded the edges of Trump’s suite along the inner concourse, jockeying for his attention. “Please take your seats,” chair umpire James Keothavong told the fans as Sinner and Alcaraz readied to play again. With Alcaraz leading 3-0 in the third set, about an hour and a half into the match, Trump went inside the suite and then reemerged as the Spaniard was about to take control of the fourth set, not long before he clinched the championship.
Neither Alcaraz nor Sinner acknowledged Trump directly on the court when the match was over and it was their turn to speak. Alcaraz climbed into the stands to greet his team, and walked up a set of stairs but then veered away from Trump’s suite as he turned toward his box, high-fiving fans along the way.
Despite sitting for much of the match with the Tiffany-crafted trophy, Trump did not present it to Alcaraz on the court, much like he did on the field to the Premier League team Chelsea when it won the Club World Cup in June.
Still, Trump’s appearance significantly shifted several elements of an event that was already a glitzy magnet for celebrities, world leaders and tennis fans.
Uniformed members of the secret service wore tactical vests as they walked inside and outside the tennis complex several hours before the match. An additional screening layer for Arthur Ashe Stadium, which seats around 24,000 people, led to jammed lines packing an outdoor plaza and a security experience similar to heading to the gates at a busy airport.
The slowdown led organizers to delay the final matchup 30 minutes from its original start time of 2 p.m. ET, forcing Alcaraz and Sinner to adjust their preparations. Even with the delay, fans were still streaming into the stadium nearly an hour into the duel after being stuck outside, welcomed beyond the security gates with a blue commemorative U.S. Open hat.
(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The jeers and cheers for Trump after the first set, his most prominent moment during the match, were not shown on ABC, which broadcasted the final and was on a commercial break when the president was shown on the scoreboards.
The United States Tennis Association, which organizes the U.S. Open, asked broadcasters to not show reactions to Trump, according to a memo reviewed by The Athletic. “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.
ESPN, which produced the broadcast and like ABC is owned by Disney, declined official comment. A person briefed on ESPN’s plans, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not charged with running the production, said it planned to show Trump as it usually would during sporting events and to cover play normally.
There were no significant disruptions, and when the telecast returned from the first set, the commentators did not acknowledge that Trump had been shown on the scoreboards and instead started talking about whether Sinner could mount a comeback.
After Alcaraz clinched the championship, the ABC broadcast briefly showed Trump standing and watching the celebration.
It was Trump’s first appearance at the Grand Slam tournament since 2015, when he first became a candidate for president. He was booed then during a quarterfinal match between Venus and Serena Williams.
Before he moved into politics, Trump attended the U.S. Open frequently. He had a suite at the tournament for nearly two decades, and gave it up in 2017, the first year of his first term.
During his presidency, Trump has been a prominent presence elsewhere in the sporting world. Following his November win to a second term, Trump’s first major high-profile appearance outside his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida was attending a UFC fight in New York.
Trump attended Super Bowl LIX in February, where he left at halftime before the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs. Trump is also an ardent supporter of LIV Golf, and one of his golf courses, the Trump National Doral in Miami, hosts an event on the league’s calendar.
This December, Trump is expected to attend the World Cup draw along with FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Sinner and Alcaraz are the top two players on the ATP Tour. By winning, Alcaraz took not only the title but also the world No. 1 ranking.
When asked before the match about playing in front of Trump, Alcaraz said it was “a privilege” to have the American president “supporting the match,” adding that he would try not to think about his presence when play began.
Matthew Futterman and Richard Deitsch contributed to this report.
(Top photo: Charly Triballeau / AFP via Getty Images)