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Spanish tennis pro and world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz called it a “privilege” to play in front of a sitting United States president as President Donald Trump is set to attend the men’s singles final of the U.S. Open on Sunday.
But Trump’s attendance at the marquee event contrasts with the usual guest list of the popular New York tournament, which this year has seen an overwhelming majority of Hollywood elites flock to the stands.
Donald Trump and wife Melania Trump attend the Williams sisters’ match at the 2015 U.S. Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Sept. 8, 2015. (Jean Catuffe/GC Images)
The guest list for the Grand Slam tournament this summer has included several notable figures with publicly left-leaning ideologies.
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Seven-time Olympic gold medalist and American gymnastics icon Simone Biles attended Coco Gauff’s second-round victory last week. Her appearance came months after she caught fierce backlash on social media for sparring with OutKick host Riley Gaines over transgender athletes competing in girls and women’s sports.
Gaines, a staunch advocate for women’s rights, called out a Minnesota high school whose softball team won a state championship in June with a transgender pitcher rostered on the team.
Gymnast Simone Biles, center, reacts after Coco Gauff, of the United States, mentioned her after Gauff’s match against Donna Vekic of Croatia during the second round of the U.S. Open Aug. 28, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Biles responded to the post, calling Gaines “truly sick.”
“All of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser,” Biles wrote to Gaines, who competed against trans swimmer Lia Thomas in 2022. “You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!”
In another post, Biles added, “Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.” Gaines took aim at Biles for her stance as an idol for so many young female athletes and also called out the Olympian for body-shaming her. Gaines announced a short time later that she was expecting her first child.
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Other notable attendees included actor Alec Baldwin, who took to his social media just last month to rail against what he called Trump’s “insane” takeover of the Washington, D.C., police force, warning his followers that other cities and even sports leagues may be next.
Alec Baldwin, left, gestures during a match between Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Learner Tien of the United States in the first-round of the U.S. Open Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Late-night host Stephen Colbert was also in attendance last week. Similar to Baldwin, he took aim at the president this week after Trump said Chicago was the “worst and most dangerous city” on social media.
“Yesterday, Donald Trump made a hard right onto the fascism freeway, announcing that he will deploy National Guard troops to Chicago,” Colbert said during his monologue. “Worst and most dangerous? Two words: “F— you!” Colbert said after reading Trump’s post.
Colbert also told Trump “go f— yourself” in July after the president celebrated the cancellation of the comedian’s show.
Shonda Rhimes, who created popular television series such as “Scandal” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” was also in attendance. She reportedly cut ties with the Kennedy Center earlier this year after Trump was named chairman of the performing arts center in Washington, D.C.
Shonda Rimes at the 2025 U.S. Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Sept. 1, 2025, in Queens, New York City. (XNY/Star Max/GC Images)
TRUMP TO ATTEND US OPEN MEN’S FINAL IN NEW YORK
USTA Director of International Development Amanda Wight is tasked with the responsibility of deciding which A-listers get an invitation to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.
“Every agent under the sun has my number,” Wight told The New York Times. “Arguably, the celebrity program is our biggest marketing tool.”
According to the report, a celebrity’s status is leverage for promoting the sport and the event. USTA hired a communications and consulting firm to help in those efforts.
“They track every person that comes on site,” Wight told the Times. “What they are posting, who they are tagging, who they are coming with. Then we are able to get a value of what the program is worth to us.”
According to the Wight, the men’s final is the most sought-after ticket. And this year, President Trump will be there for it.
The USTA confirmed to The Associated Press that the president will be in attendance as a client guest but did not identify who he would be a guest of. Trump has previously attended the tournament in years past.
Stephen Colbert at the 2025 U.S. Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Aug. 31, 2025, in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, N.Y. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
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In a statement to Fox News Digital regarding the criteria for invitations, a USTA spokesperson said, “Regardless of political affiliation, the USTA does not invite any New York city or state politicians unless they have a formal role at the event (in prior years the mayor greeted the crowd on opening night).
“As federal employees are limited in what they can accept, we offer those who ask the opportunity to purchase tickets. Additionally, individuals may be the invited guests of someone else (sponsors, seat holders, etc), over which we have no control.”
The men’s final between Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will begin Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
“It is a privilege for the tournaments having the presidents from every country [there] to support the tournaments, to support tennis and to support the match,” Alcaraz said of playing in front of Trump. “To be honest, I will try not to be focused, and I will try not to think about it. I don’t want myself to be nervous because of it.
“I think attending the tennis match, I think it’s great for tennis to have the president into the final.”
Fox News Digital’s Hanna Panreck and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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