When former President Donald Trump attended the US Open men’s final on Sept. 7, 2025, the focus quickly shifted from the court to the broadcast booth. Organizers were accused of instructing media to censor any negative crowd reactions to Trump’s presence, creating a firestorm of criticism from sports journalists who felt their integrity was being compromised for political reasons. The move sparked a debate about press freedom at one of tennis’s biggest events.
Why Did the USTA Ask Broadcasters to Censor the Crowd?
US Open organizers faced sharp criticism from tennis journalist Jon Wertheim after allegedly instructing broadcasters and media to censor protests or negative reactions from the crowd directed at President Donald Trump. The former president attended the men’s singles final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at Arthur Ashe Stadium. This marked Trump’s first visit to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center since 2015, when he watched a quarterfinal match between Serena Williams and Venus Williams.
In the final, Alcaraz defeated the defending champion Sinner with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. The victory secured Alcaraz his second title at the New York major and his sixth Grand Slam title overall.
This year, Trump attended the tournament as a guest of Rolex, a luxury Swiss watchmaker and one of the Grand Slam’s official partners, rather than at the request of the US Open. Rolex has a private suite within the stadium.
Donald Trump & his granddaughter Arabella at the US Open yesterday ❤️
(Ivanka Trump’s daughter) pic.twitter.com/cu3GQELwJS
— Keeping Up With The Trumps (@KUWTTRUMPS) September 8, 2025
Prior to Trump’s appearance, Bounces reported that the United States Tennis Association (USTA) instructed broadcasters to avoid showing potential disruptions related to his visit.
How Did Jon Wertheim Criticize the ‘Censorship Memo’?
During a recent episode of the “Served with Andy Roddick” podcast, Wertheim stated that the USTA was “blindsided” by Trump’s visit, as he was a guest of Rolex, not the tournament itself.
“If Rolex can get the tariff knocked down because he got to watch Carlos Alcaraz, great. So I feel like the USTA, at some level, and I talked to people and different employees had different takes, but basically the tournament was a little bit blindsided. He was not a guest of the tournament,” Wertheim said.
From a journalist’s perspective, Wertheim described the USTA’s “censorship memo” as “deeply offensive.”
“I was really offended, and this is not a Left, Right, Democrat, Republican, MAGA. I thought the censorship memo that came out on Saturday was really deeply offensive. The USTA released a statement saying, ‘Don’t show any reaction or any response from the President.’ What they really said in a statement in response to that was, ‘We regularly ask broadcasters to refrain from showcasing off-court disruptions, reactions,'” he continued.
The tennis journalist also highlighted a double standard, pointing out that when other celebrities like Taylor Swift and Simone Biles visit the US Open, the media extensively covers their reactions and the crowd’s responses without any restrictions.
“Are you kidding me? I saw Taylor Swift had a honey deuce once. Maybe you saw that any of the 50,000 times that was posted. You know, Simone Biles congratulating Coco was literally like the A square on the US Open. We don’t show reactions and disruptions?” Wertheim added.
It is worth noting that Trump has been a frequent attendee of the US Open. He previously watched matches from his personal suite near the television broadcasting booth at Arthur Ashe Stadium but relinquished that suite in 2017, his first year as president.
