NEW YORK — President Donald Trump made an appearance Sunday at the U.S. Open men’s singles final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
No sitting United States president had been present at the U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows since Bill Clinton in 2000.
Trump was shown on feeds from the tournament before the pre-match ceremony and during the singing of the United States national anthem and received a healthy mix of boos, which drowned out the cheers. The second time he was shown on the jumbotron at Arthur Ashe Stadium at the end of the first set, he was loudly booed. Trump and his entourage had briefly left their seats, but came back to see Alcaraz win the championship in four sets.
It was announced that Trump would be at the match last week, and extra security measures were put in place for his arrival. The United States Tennis Association had asked fans and media members to arrive early to ‘minimize disruption’ before the original match time of 2 p.m. and be prepared to wait as they went through the gates at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center, as every bag was checked before entering the premises.
The start of the match was pushed back to 2:30 p.m. because of the extra security measures.
Trump was seen in a corporate suite as a guest of Rolex, the high-end wristwatch maker, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Just last month, Trump imposed a nearly 40% tariff on Swiss-made products. Other Trump cabinet members attending are White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, special administration envoy Steve Witkoff, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Trump hasn’t been at the tournament since 2015, the year before he was first elected president. That day, during a quarterfinal match between Serena and Venus Williams, he was booed loudly by the crowd when shown on the Ashe Stadium jumbotron.
The USTA also urged companies broadcasting the match to essentially censor the crowd reaction and refrain from showing any individuals who might boo or cause a disturbance. The match is being broadcast on ABC in the United States and livestreamed on the ESPN app.
‘We ask all broadcasters to refrain from showcasing any disruptions to the President’s attendance in any capacity,’ the USTA said in a memo.
Trump has made it a habit to attend sporting events since starting his second term in January. He has attended the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, the NCAA wrestling championships, the FIFA Club World Cup final and several Ultimate Fighting Championship fights.
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This story was updated with new information.
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