ATP’s Relaxed Stance on Fan Movement Gets a Witty Response From American Ex-Pro

Want to grab a burger or a quick drink? Need a toilet break? Well, tennis fans can now freely move in and out of their seats during a match without worrying much about the chair umpire calling, “Find your seats quickly, please!” This free fan movement is one of the several moves by the ATP and the WTA to create an enhanced fan experience and bring tennis in line with other sports. Last year, both ATP and WTA ran a trial that allowed fans to take their seats before changeovers during the first five games of a match, apart from those directly behind the players. But is it possible to do so without disrupting the concentration of the players during the match? Well, former American tennis player Sam Querrey doesn’t seem to be a big fan of this change!

Imagine if fans at the MLB game were asked to wait until the end of an inning to go grab a beer or a hot dog. Or suppose the folks at an NFL or NBA were asked to do the same only after a quarter? Things would’ve turned a bit chaotic, right? However, tennis has always been associated with a relatively quieter crowd with fewer movements in the stands during the match. So when this new rule was introduced, the US Open tournament referee Jake Garner admitted that this could “take some getting used to, from the players’ point of view,” because they would consider it bothersome. 

During the 2024 AO, several players were seen criticizing the tournament organizers for not giving players enough information about the decision to allow spectators to roam around the courts between games. Grigor Dimitrov said, “I personally was not aware. I think a lot of players didn’t know, from what I heard. That was actually a little bit of a topic in the locker room.” Even Daniil Medvedev was of the opinion that it was distracting for the server and the receiver when people were moving in the stands behind the baseline. However, despite these complaints ATP claimed they got “positive feedback” on that, and the rule got implemented at several major events like the 2024 US Open and even the Next Gen ATP Finals.

Recently, the 2025 Dallas Open introduced this new rule as well, claiming, “It’s time to set you free. ATP rules now allow fans to move freely between each game of the match. Excluding the areas just behind the baseline…re-entry is now that much quicker and easier.” But the former ATP pro Sam Querrey isn’t liking it.

Commenting on a reel from the renowned sports reporter, Blair Henley, who could be seen talking about the relaxed stance on fan movement, Querrey wrote, “I don’t know why, but this fires me up lol.” Although he didn’t explain much, his dissatisfaction with the new rule was quite evident.

Last year, after his first-round match at the AO, Novak Djokovic also shared his thoughts on this new rule. “I understand the motive behind it is to enhance and improve the experience for fans, right? We want fans to have a great, thrilling experience of being out on the court. Today we lost quite a bit of time when they were letting people in to come to their seats, even though it was not a changeover. My opponent would wait for them to sit down; It dragged a lot,” Djoker said.

He further mentioned, “I don’t know if it’s really the best rule, but I do understand from a tournament and fan perspective it’s probably better because they don’t want to wait. They want to come out and enjoy every single point.” What do other tennis players have to say about this move by the ATP and the WTA? 

“I don’t really mind” —Ben Shelton on the implementation of the new rule

Tennis is a sport built on traditions and is routinely slow to embrace changes. However, in 2023, ATP star Frances Tiafoe was among the first ones to call for the sport to be revolutionized. He said that he believes it is high time for tennis to modernize in order to reach the younger generation on a larger scale. “I think fans should be able to come and go and move around, and speak during matches. Imagine going to a basketball game and not saying anything,” said Tiafoe in an interview with Forbes magazine.

Jessica Pegula also chimed in later, saying, “You can’t have people shouting in the middle of a point necessarily, but maybe if the movement was less restrictive, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.” Even the ATP star, Ben Shelton, highlighted the same, saying, “I noticed it, but once the point starts, I don’t notice it. I guess with college tennis I’ve played … there’s a lot of situations where I’ve been in that’s a lot crazier than a couple of people walking with drinks back to their seat — Honey Deuces. I don’t really mind it. I’m sure some players will be annoyed with it this week.“

Players like Coco Gauff and Donna Vekic also echoed, “Doesn’t really bother me that much.” However, according to another ATP pro Tommy Paul, “Let people walk around, let young people drink beers while we play tennis, and let me have a conversation with someone in the crowd. For me, it’s not always the best, but Foe could do those things for the whole match and still play great tennis. I think that’d be something really interesting to watch.”

Different players have different opinions on revolutionizing tennis with the free fan movement. What’s your take on this?