NEW YORK – The U.S. Open men’s singles final on Sunday was a historic event on the court, but off the court, it was marked by a huge security problem prompted by the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump. His presence, the first by a sitting president since Bill Clinton in 2000, caused a 30-minute delay and a lot of frustration for thousands of people who were stuck in a security “nightmare.”
Many fans, including celebrities, were stuck in long queues outside Arthur Ashe Stadium, where they were meant to see a highly anticipated match between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. They were chanting, “Let us in! Let us in!” Even though the start time was moved from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT, thousands of people were still waiting to get through the extra security checks when the first ball was hit.
Page Six says that the crazy scene affected everyone. A insider told the newspaper, “It’s a total s**t show.” Because of the increased security, “cars can’t get into parking lots and people are walking miles.” Some well-known people who were there had to wait in line like everyone else. People including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas, and Ben Stiller were seen “waiting in line, like everyone else.” Debra Messing, on the other hand, “sat in a car for an hour and they wouldn’t let her out.” Lindsay Lohan was also seen walking through the parking lot before going to the stands.
The Secret Service put out a statement saying they knew things were hard. “We know that extra security for the President’s visit to the US Open may have caused delays for people who were going to the event,” the statement said. “We really appreciate all of our fans’ patience and understanding.” It took a lot of work to keep the president secure, and we are thankful to the U.S. tennis community and our New York public safety partners for their help and support.
Because of the problems with crowd control, the stadium was only half filled when the contest started, and many seats stayed empty for almost an hour. The U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) even told TV networks not to show “off-court disruptions” during the broadcast. The incident shows how hard it may be to plan for a presidential visit to a big public event and how people respond to it.