A Man Was Told To "Sit Down" At The US Open For Seemingly Getting Up To Use The Bathroom, And I Had No Idea Tennis Rules Were So Strict
This year's US Open has been trending for countless viral celebrity moments, but one spectator accidentally went viral for being unaware of tennis etiquette rules while attending.
During Coco Gauff's match, a spectator was caught on camera casually walking up the stairs toward the restrooms during a set. The umpire can be heard over the loudspeaker saying, "Sit down please, now, thank you," and the man turns around, seemingly confused.
The US Open crowd had a mixture of reactions, with some shocked at the man walking by, others chuckling, and a few who gestured for the man to sit in the chair closest to him.
So, apparently, it's against audience ettiequte rules to get up from one's seat during a point because it can distract the players and prevent other spectators from being able to see. To be respectful, one should only move around at the end of games and sets or when the players switch ends.
The viral moment has now received over 5 million views, and the majority of comments are in defense of the man because, hello, how would he have known that? Because I sure didn't! One user wrote, "This man is a hero for teaching us all what not to do tbh. Of all the tennis I've seen, I never knew that."
Another user wrote, "Bro, tennis is so petty, like I can't even stand."
Some users were triggered by the secondhand embarrassment, writing, "I would still be thinking about this moment 30 years from now at my grandkids 3rd birthday party while the cake is being cut."
Another user expressed what they would've done in this situation, writing, "I honestly didn't know this rule. I would have said, 'Are you talking to me?'"
And finally, a user argued that it was unnecessary to call out the man in front of everyone, writing, "Literally they made a bigger distraction telling him not to go to the bathroom then if the poor guy just went."
After seeing this video, I decided to do some tennis research, and in addition to bathroom breaks, there are other spectator etiquette rules that aren't exactly common knowledge. For example, phones must remain on silent and camera flashes should never be on, in order to not distract the players. Also, you're supposed to remain quiet during play and you're only allowed to applaud once the point is over, according to Keith Prowse, Wimbledon's official hospitality provider.
