There won’t be a swarm of influencers at Wimbledon next summer after how things have gone so far at the US Open.
Wimbledon does not plan to allow an influx of influencers at the Grand Slam next summer, according to The Press Association. Security will confiscate items, like ring lights, that could be used to disrupt matches, and Wimbledon will not have any accreditation category for influencers or content creators.
That is in stark contrast to the US Open this fall, which has seen plenty of influencers and other content creators throughout the tournament. That’s caused multiple issues already, too.
While the US Open has traditionally had the rowdiest crowd among the four Grand Slams, the influencer debate has taken off throughout the tournament. Roughly 100 influencers and content creators were credentialed as media this year, nearly twice as many from 2025. A pair of influencers had their credentials revoked, too.
People have been creating content at the tournament during matches, including staging photoshoots and bringing in lighting. Naomi Osaka’s first-round match even had to be paused.
This was one of the cringiest things I’ve ever seen live. The US Open used to be an actual tennis tournament https://t.co/1kAYND6VOepic.twitter.com/c1jbi4lUlQ
— Danny Singer (@michiganboy310) September 2, 2026
While that has brought a lot of added attention to both the tournament and the sport in general, many players have spoken out about the disruptions.
“I feel like it’s common courtesy to read up on the sport, especially the etiquette. I feel like it could be a good thing for people to make the sport of tennis popular to their specific audience, but I think it has to be managed a lot better, especially in the situation like in my first-round match,” Osaka said after that incident. “Overall, I think there’s huge positives. … You want people to continue to grow the sport. I just think it has to be in a way that everyone knows the rules and the etiquette.”
There has also been the odor of marijuana, which is legal recreationally in New York, occasionally during the tournament.
“People are allowed to move around in the crowd during points,” France’s Adrian Mannarino said, via The Press Association. “The tournament puts up with it, and I don’t know if it’s the best thing for tennis in general.
“There’s a smell of marijuana on the court, noise everywhere. The truth is, it’s turning into a bit of a zoo.”
While Wimbledon is still about 10 months away, the tournament is apparently already preparing to keep things calm over in London next summer.