 "US President Donald Trump will be in attendance at the US Open for the first time in a decade. Reuters")
The 145th edition of the US Open is set to end on a familiar note with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz , ranked first and second respectively in the ATP ladder, battling it out for the top prize on Sunday. And in attendance at the Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows to watch the two young stars face each other in a Grand Slam for the third consecutive time will be US President Donald Trump.
President Trump isn’t exactly the most popular public figure at the moment, with his policies having left both the American public as well as the rest of the world divided – especially the reciprocal tariffs that have been slapped on imported goods with varying rates depending on the country of origin.
Trump has also faced criticism for his behaviour during the FIFA Club World Cup final on 13 July, refusing to leave the podium after handing the winner’s trophy to Chelsea following their victory over Paris Saint-Germain, gatecrashing their victory celebration in the process.
And the US president is set to attend Sunday’s final between Sinner and Alcaraz as a guest of Rolex, the Swiss watchmaker being one of the key sponsors of the US Open. It will be Trump’s first appearance at Flushing Meadows, having previously attended the event in 2015.
Social media slams censorship in US Open final
And measures are being taken by the organisers to ensure any boos at the venue are censored on the live telecast, a development that has not gone unnoticed on social media.
‘Great for tennis’: Alcaraz
Alcaraz was asked about the significance of facing Sinner with President Trump in attendance in a press conference on the eve of the final. The Spaniard, who had won the first of his five Grand Slams in this event three years ago, described it as an “privilege”.
“I think that 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,” Alcaraz said.
“For me, playing in front of him … 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 at the final,” he added.
The final between Alcaraz and Sinner gets underway at 2 pm ET (11.30 pm IST). While Alcaraz had heroically fought back from two sets down to win the French Open in June, the Italian bounced back in Wimbledon the following month, denying the Spaniard a hat-trick of grass-court Grand Slams.
Each of the last seven Grand Slams have been won either by Alcaraz or Sinner, with 24-time champion Novak Djokovic being the last person other than the current world top-two to win a Major – having achieved the feat in the 2023 US Open.