Tennis did not need any influencers to promote the sport into its Golden Age Era so why would it need any now?
It does not. I think the presence of influencers is a negative for the sport because it looks like a sign of weakness. The New York Yankees don’t need influencers. Messi doesn’t need influencers. Mike Tyson, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi never needed influencers. The US Open back in the 70s and 80s didn’t need any influencers.
Nor does the sport of tennis. Great tennis sells itself and gets people talking.
Back when Connors and McEnroe played, they didn’t need any influencers nor did the US Open. The US Open didn’t need any gimmicks or sideshows, or clown acts or giveaways. The tennis was enough. Watching any match is always interesting. To see if the weaker player can figure out a way to defeat the bigger stronger higher ranked player.
2025 US Open doubles semifinalist JJ Tracy told me last week why he loves tennis: “I think it’s one of the sports where you don’t specifically have to be better than someone to win the match. I think it’s very mental. There are different ways and different tactics you can use to win. It doesn’t exist in other sports.”
You think any shallow superficial influencer can grasp that aspect of tennis? Or is it all about the atmosphere, clothes, food, drink and style with the influencer?
You have to wonder which direction the sport is going and if it is being mis-marketed and misrepresented, in order to reach a wider but dumber audience.
Every day at the US Open there are almost fifty matches to watch. That’s enough. Concerts, clown shows, music, live podcasts are not needed. The tennis can sell itself.
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Sam · September 17, 2026 at 7:10 am
I’m kind of confused—exactly what are “influencers”?? 🤔
Scoop Malinowski · September 17, 2026 at 7:35 am
Idiots and imbeciles who run around tournaments trying to get attention for themselves.