Tennis Player Acts Normal | Defector

"While the main stadium is off-limits without a specific ticket, every other court grants attendees access on a first-come, first-served basis. In theory, you could show up before noon and watch tennis past midnight, and even though I opt for the relatively cheaper night session ticket that doesn't let you in until 6 p.m., the atmosphere for the last match of the night at Louis Armstrong Stadium is always kind of kooky."

"He's a handsome, athletic young American who made the semis at this tournament two years ago and is favored to make the quarters this year. People showed up for him in a way they didn't for, say, Marketa Vondrousova vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova. But as Shelton pretty cleanly marched to a straight-sets victory, you could feel a little silliness from the members of the crowd that had, we'll say, resolved to stay to the sleepy end."

"This is far from the most surreal thing to happen at the U.S. Open, but in the context of tennis, the wave still felt like an incursion on the usual boundaries of the sport. This is a game where athletes can get furious about practically nothing. Most people at Armstrong on Wednesday probably knew about Daniil Medvedev, earlier in the tournament, throwing a lengthy temper tantrum during his upset loss after his opponent got a serve mulligan when a photographer walked onto the court."

Early U.S. Open rounds operate non-linearly, with most courts open to first-come, first-served attendance while the main stadium requires specific tickets. Night sessions produce an eccentrically assembled late crowd that often contains spectators who linger all day. Ben Shelton drew extra attention and inspired crowd playfulness during his straight-sets victory, culminating in The Wave near match point. That communal silliness contrasted with tennis’s usual strictness, where players frequently react angrily to minor incidents. Earlier tournament incidents included Daniil Medvedev throwing a prolonged temper tantrum after a disputed serve mulligan and a photographer’s intrusion.

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