Donald Trump made his first showing at the US Open in nearly 10 years Sunday and was greeted by a chorus of boos and cheers upon his arrival. Trump, who walked out of his suite less than an hour before the Finals match between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz was scheduled, was filmed clapping and waving at the crowd.
Trump initially went back into his suite before re-emerging for the National Anthem, which prompted more cheers and boos.
Notably, ABC went on commercial break when Trump was shown on the scoreboard following the first set of the match. Event organizers had previously emailed broadcasters and requested they “refrain from showing any disruptions or reactions in response to the president’s attendance in any capacity.”
The president was joined by Jared Kushner, Pam Bondi and Karoline Leavitt, as well as by special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Treasury secretary Scott Bessent and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
The match was also attended by Michael J. Fox, Dakota Fanning and Kevin Hart.
Trump’s appearance prompted additional security measures that delayed the start of the match by 30 minutes.
When asked how he feels about Trump’s visit, Alcarez told reporters, “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.”
“For me, playing in front of him, I will try not to be focused on that, and 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 coming to the final,” he continued.
