Following the meeting of Alcaraz and Sinner in the US Open men’s final, the event will see a prominent guest — President Trump. Reports indicate Trump will be present at the men’s final on September 7, his first live attendance at the US Open in ten years. Notably, as a native of Queens, New York, Trump was once a regular at the US Open but has not attended in person since his 2016 presidential election.

At 79 years old this year, Trump was born in Queens, New York, the host borough of the US Open. Before entering politics, he was a frequent attendee of the tournament. Secretly, the Trump Organization held a private box next to the broadcast booth for many years, which ceased use after he became president in 2017. However, during his last attendance in 2015, he was booed by the crowd, sparking public debate. Since this marks his return after a decade, Trump’s presence has attracted widespread attention and discussion.

In 2025, Trump’s return to the US Open has prompted the organizers to implement top-level security measures at the main stadium, and the airspace over the venue will be closed two hours before the match to prepare for his arrival.

Men’s singles finalist Carlos Alcaraz welcomed Trump’s attendance. After defeating Djokovic in the semifinals, the Spanish star said, “The president being hereto support tennis and the competition is definitely a bonus.”

“Although I will try not to get distracted by it, having the president attend the final is truly an honor for the tennis community.” Alcaraz’s comment was widely regarded as very appropriate.

Some fans praised his diplomatic wording on social media, admiring such tact. However, others felt that as a foreign player competing in the U.S., it was better not to make negative remarks about the American president, viewing it merely as polite formalities.

Meanwhile, former US Open champion Emma Raducanu sparked controversy by withdrawing from the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers. It is worth noting this is Raducanu’s second withdrawal from national team events in 2025; she previously pulled out of qualifiers in April citing the need to “take care of her body.”

This time, she opted to compete in the concurrent WTA 500 Seoul Open, explaining the need to defend her points from reaching the quarterfinals in last year’s Korean tournament.

Raducanu’s decision upset the British tennis association internally, and many British fans expressed disappointment and anger on social media. One fan bluntly said, “She is not a team player at all, she doesn’t care about bringing honor to Britain, only about commercial endorsements. Her choice to skip the Billie Jean King Cup final is shockingly selfish; she simply isn’t patriotic!” Others compared her to football, saying, “This behavior is as outrageous as Harry Kane suddenly announcing he won’t participate in the next World Cup.”

In response to the public backlash, Raducanu’s team explained that since starting cooperation with coach Francisco Roig (former coach of Nadal), she needs to prioritize the number of WTA events she plays and strengthen on-site training, but the Billie Jean King Cup schedule conflicts with the tour calendar, creating a difficult choice.

Some netizens commented, “Professional tennis players often face tough decisions between representing their country and pursuing personal careers. Balancing national honor and individual development is always a delicate challenge. For Raducanu, such choices are inevitably controversial, but this is part of tennis’s unique ‘individual freedom.’ She essentially does not serve any organization or team, since tennis is the world’s second largest individual sport.”(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Lu Xiaotian)