US Open Fan Week is meant to be a free and fun way for fans to watch practice sessions and qualifying matches. However, this year’s event at Flushing Meadows turned chaotic, with huge crowds, long lines, and heavy traffic making it difficult for fans to get inside.
With events such as the star-studded Mixed Doubles Championship, Silent Disco, Stars of the Open, US Open Block Party, and more, the event draws a massive turnout. The crowds left many frustrated attendees calling on organizers to bring back strict capacity limits or even charge for tickets.
Tennis World Reacts to US Open Fan Week Chaos as Fans Complain About Overcrowding
Fan Week features the Mixed Doubles Championship, qualifying matches, exhibitions with Roger Federer and the Stars of the Open, as well as family activities, kids’ events, and giveaways.
The Fan Access Pass was free and gave fans access to all qualifying matches, where 128 men and 128 women competed for the final 16 main-draw spots from August 24 to August 28. However, tickets were required for the mixed doubles and exhibition events, with some resale prices reaching up to $1,000. And understandably, huge crowds turned up at Flushing Meadows.
Frustrated fans took to social media to complain about the chaos and poor crowd control. One X user wrote, with a clip, “Literally abolish fan week at this point… can’t even watch a match without kids pushing me off the bleachers or there being lines to get into the parking lot. It’s time to start charging for tickets!”
Literally abolish fan week atp… I’m out of here can’t even watch a match without kids pushing me off the bleachers or there being lines to get INTO THE PARKING LOT… can’t get a picture without kids and elderly men shoving me aside… it’s time to start charging for tix! pic.twitter.com/MFK4pDybtA
— Biased About Tennis (@biasedabttnns) August 25, 2026
Others also raised safety concerns after being trapped with nowhere to move. “Can’t even get out of here if I wanted to! What happened to limiting capacity?,” a fan posted.
can’t even get out of here if I wanted to!!! What happened to limiting capacity??? pic.twitter.com/6PRba3UWIe
— Kat (@idontmindk) August 25, 2026
Longtime attendees also noticed the overcrowding, with one calling it the “most packed I’ve ever seen it in years of coming to the US Open.” Another summed it up simply: “Anything free in NYC, you pay with your patience.”
On top of this, another cause of the crowds was a special Marvel Spider-Man comic book giveaway at the venue. The line for the free comic stretched almost to Louis Armstrong Stadium, and within hours, copies were being resold online at much higher prices.
The line for the Marvel @usopen Spider Man comic giveaway stretched almost all the way to Armstrong. They’re apparently reselling for big bucks online, much like the grounds passes are. Madness! #FanWeek pic.twitter.com/siTgiMoRxK
— TennisAtlantic (@TennisAtlantic) August 26, 2026
While the exhibition match between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick gave fans a nostalgic treat, the excitement continued with the star-studded mixed doubles event, featuring pairings such as Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams.
MORE: US Open 2026 Draw Ceremony Date, Prize Money, Format, Seeds Featuring Coco Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz and Williams reached the quarterfinals but lost to Flavio Cobolli and Belinda Bencic. Cobolli and Bencic then reached the final, where they lost to the champions Jakub Menšík and Karolína Muchová.
The main draw is set to begin on August 30.
