The men's U.S. Open final was delayed by about 30 minutes on Sunday to accommodate security for the arrival of President Trump, who was met with a mix of boos and cheers from the New York crowd in Queens.
Trump was briefly shown on the jumbotrons at Arthur Ashe Stadium in his native burough during the playing of the national anthem.
The president was joined by his son-in-law Jared Kushner, granddaughter Arabella, his chief of staff Susie Wiles, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
A star-studded audience in addition to the president was in attendance for the match between Italy's Jannik Sinner and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, widely seen as the best two male players in the world. This is the third "Grand Slam" final of the year that has featured the two competitors.
Bruce Springsteen, Sting and Steph Curry were among the celebrities present.
Trump attended as a guest of Rolex and was pictured alongside the Swiss watchmaker's CEO, Jean-Frederic Dufour -- just weeks after the Trump administration imposed a 39% tariff on Swiss products, according to the Associated Press.
Trump, who is originally from New York, last attended the U.S. Open in 2015 while he was a presidential candidate. He watched Serena and Venus Williams play in the women’s quarterfinals.
On Saturday, multiple outlets reported that the United States Tennis Association (USTA), host of the U.S. Open, asked broadcasters not to air “distractions” that may arise from Trump’s attendance at the Sunday opening ceremony.
The message came after his 2015 appearance garnered jeers from the crowd.
However, Alcaraz welcomed Trump's appearance at the final, saying it would be “great for tennis.”
“I think that it is a privilege for the tournaments having the president from every country just to support the tournament, to support tennis, and to support the match,” he said, according to The Guardian. “For me, playing in front of him … I will try not to think about it. I don’t want myself to be nervous because of it, but I think attending the tennis match, it’s great for tennis to have the president at the final.”
Trump’s appearance at the faceoff between Sinner and Alcaraz comes a day after Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus clenched her second title at the U.S. Open on Saturday.
In remarks after her win, Sabalenka thanked Americans for cheering her on throughout numerous performances at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
Source: The Hill - News
