The US Open has always been loud, but this year the noise has become a bigger issue. After Naomi Osaka raised concerns about crowd behavior during play, Flavio Cobolli echoed the frustration following his third-round loss to Alexander Blockx. Cobolli won the first set, but Blockx came back to win 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-0, 6-3.

“Yeah, I mean, since the first day. We always used to play in silence; nobody moves, nobody talks, with a great atmosphere. Here it’s really different,” said the World No. 6 after his shocking loss to Alexander Blockx.

“We have a great atmosphere, but it’s very, very loud. For us… it’s very tough for us,” added the Italian.

After losing to Blockx, Flavio Cobolli said players may need more exposure to noisy conditions before arriving in New York because the US Open atmosphere is so different from the rest of the tour.

Cobolli also made it clear that he was not blaming the crowd for his defeat to Blockx. “I didn’t lose because of the noise, of course,” he said, separating his concerns about the US Open atmosphere from what happened on court.

His comments follow Naomi Osaka’s earlier complaint after her first-round win over Anastasia Zakharova, 7-6(6), 7-6(3), when play was stopped as influencers in a VIP suite filmed during points and used distracting lights.

Chair umpire Kader Nouni intervened after the group started using ring lights, while Osaka said the disruption could clearly be heard on court. The issue continued in round two against Katerina Siniakova, when chair umpire Marijana Veljovic repeatedly asked spectators to quiet down.

Osaka also indicated that the noise appeared to be bothering Siniakova, showing the issue was not limited to her.

“There was a moment where there were people shouting and stuff,” Osaka said. “You could hear it quite clearly,” she added. “If you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport,” Osaka said. “I feel like it’s common courtesy to read up on the sport, especially the etiquette.”

New York has always been loud. Angelique Kerber once said the US Open felt unusually noisy, with aircraft, music, and city sounds adding to the chaos.

But this year, more distractions are spilling into points. Adrian Mannarino called out spectators moving and talking during play. “Now people are allowed to move around in the crowd during points. Before, people weren’t allowed to enter the court outside of changeovers,” he said. “You can smell weed on the court, there’s noise coming from everywhere, it’s becoming a bit of a zoo actually. These are really unusual playing conditions.”

The USTA has responded with reminders against flash photography and disruptive lighting, while umpires can step in when needed.

For Cobolli, the answer is more preparation for the kind of noise players face in New York.

Is the US Open Crowd Really the Problem?

Well, the US Open has always been loud.

That is part of New York, and players know it before they get there. Arthur Ashe is not Wimbledon, and the USTA clearly has no interest in making it feel like one.

If anything, the tournament has leaned harder into the spectacle. DJs, live performances, fan events, and nearly 100 credentialed creators have pushed the US Open further into entertainment territory.

Some players are fine with that. “The Open is uncontrollable in the best possible way. It’s loud, there’s constant energy, and I feed off that,” Frances Tiafoe said. Madison Keys echoed that view, saying, “I feel like every slam kind of has their own identity and the US Open has kind of always been the ‘big-show Grand Slam.’”

The issue starts when the noise gets in the way of the point. Cheering after rallies is part of the show. Shouting during them, flashing lights, and using ring lights is not.

That is what Osaka’s matches exposed. The US Open does not need to quiet down. Fans just need to know when to let the tennis take over.