NEW YORK — Imagine if fans attending a Major League Baseball game had to wait until the end of an inning to grab a beer or a hotdog. Or if spectators at NFL or NBA games were not allowed to use the restroom until after a quarter was over. This scenario seems unlikely, right? However, this has long been the etiquette in tennis, especially at Grand Slam tournaments like the U.S. Open, which began on Monday: No one could enter or exit during a match. In fact, spectators sometimes had to wait until after several games before they could get up.

But this has changed at Flushing Meadows. Under a new policy introduced this year, ticket holders in designated sections across all courts—from the Arthur Ashe Stadium, which has a capacity of 23,859, to the smaller Courts 8 and 16 with only 336 seats—can now move freely, even during play. Additionally, there is no longer a waiting period, as fans are allowed to come and go after each individual game. On the inaugural day of the tournament, attendees appeared to enjoy this new freedom, although it may take some players a little time to adjust, a change that was also tested at the Australian Open in January.

Ben Shelton, a semifinalist at the U.S. Open in 2023, noted the change but said he did not notice it while points were being played. “I’ve played a lot of college tennis, and there have been many situations that have been more chaotic than a few people walking back to their seats with drinks,” he stated. “I’m sure some players will get annoyed by it this week,” added Shelton, who won in Ashe on Monday.

Most players surveyed on Monday, including defending champion Coco Gauff, echoed Donna Vekic’s statement: “It doesn’t bother me that much.” In the midst of this noisy tournament, there are plenty of distractions—ranging from lively evening crowds to aircraft flying overhead and the sounds of nearby trains.

Tournament referee Jake Garner acknowledged that it might “take time for players to get used to this,” as they may find it disruptive. On the other hand, Garner said in an interview, “This might be seen as a radical change for tennis, but I’m not sure that enhancing the fan experience and making it more pleasant for them should be seen as so radical.”

Throughout several matches on day one of the two-week tournament, competition flowed smoothly while spectators moved up and down the stairs or simply mingled around. Occasionally, a player preparing to serve would pause for a moment longer before starting a point, or a returner would raise a hand to request more time. One thing noticeably absent was the usual reminders from umpires to “Find your seats quickly, please!”

Rachel Ferman Halkias, who works at YouTube and has attended the U.S. Open more than six times, was pleased that a security guard allowed her in after the first game of the second set of 12th-seeded Daria Kasatkina’s match on Court No. 7. “I was a bit prepared to wait longer, but I like this. Otherwise, I would have been standing on the stairs forever!” she said. “As long as it doesn’t disrupt the players, it’s a good thing. I completely understand that tennis has many rules, but let’s evolve.”

Kasatkina mentioned that movement behind the baseline can be problematic for her; however, movement along the sidelines does not bother her. “It’s hard to compare with other sports because tennis is one-on-one, and you’re very focused. In team sports, there are 10 or 20 players moving all the time. It’s also noisy from start to finish, and you get used to the noise when it’s constant. When you’re playing in silence and then suddenly there’s noise from somewhere, you notice it,” she explained.

Lisa and Ferenc Miskolczi, a couple from New Jersey who watched matches at Louis Armstrong Stadium, appreciate the new rules. “It’s the only sport where you have to be quiet for them to play; it’s quite amusing that they can’t concentrate,” Lisa remarked. “So I love the change—and the players will have to get used to it.” One of the reasons Garner mentioned the change was to avoid spectators missing large portions of matches, especially during the first three games of a set.

Ferenc, a project manager in the healthcare field, added: “When there are long lines of fans outside and a match can last 13 or 15 minutes, it’s frustrating. This should spread to other tournaments.” Matteo Berrettini, who was the number two seed at Wimbledon in 2021, also anticipates this evolution. “I believe,” Berrettini said, “this is the future.”