The US president attended the US Open for the first time since 2015 on Sunday
Donald Trump was savagely booed at the US Open on September 7 in an awkward moment that was captured by TV cameras.
While the main focus for the tournament is of course the tennis, there’s no doubt this year’s US Open has seen a lot of things happen off the court.
Fans were left outraged after a man was seen swiping Kamil Majchrzak’s hat off a boy who was seemingly gifted it by the sports pro.
The final of the US Open took place on Sunday between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, with Trump in attendance in New York.
TV cameras panned to Trump as a member of West Point performed The Star-Spangled Banner ahead of the men’s final.
The POTUS was immediately booed, as he was when he first arrived at the match, in what was the president’s first appearance at the US Open since 2015 – which was as the Republican president was launching his 2016 presidential bid.
At first, a short round of applause was issued for the president, before a chorus of boos broke out.
Trump awkwardly smirked after realising he was being jeered by the vast majority in attendance in New York, as he took to his seat in a suite next to a winner’s trophy after receiving an invite to the tournament’s final by Rolex, the Guardian reports.
The president spoke to press after flying back to the capital and admitted he ‘loved’ attending the US Open final in spite of the booing.
“The fans were really nice. I didn’t know what to expect,” Trump said. “Usually you would say that would be a somewhat ‘progressive,’ as they say nowadays, crowd.”
Some fans were still outside when Trump was booed and the tennis match began, with some fans blaming the president and the heightened security measures for the delays.
A man named Kevin waited an hour and 15 minutes and had still not reached the front of the queue.
He explained his frustration to Reuters: “One hundred percent him. Very selfish. I would expect someone like that to have a little bit more grace to know that an event like this would be held up for him being here, especially in a city that hates him.”
A Secret Service spokesperson has since spoken out, saying: “We recognise that enhanced security for the US President’s visit to the US Open may have contributed to delays for attendees. We sincerely thank every fan for their patience and understanding.”
