Raccoons have broken into the US Open to watch tennis with fans

The US Open 2022, the sole Grand Slam event in the United States, is presently taking place in New York City.
In New York City, raccoons have been sighted mingling with tennis spectators in the stadiums.
Social media posts depicted trash pandas attending one of the year’s most prestigious tennis tournaments.
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The 2022 US Open has attracted an unprecedented number of fans to Flushing Meadows.

However, several surprising spectators have also been sighted in the New York City Grand Slam crowd.

Raccoons — yes, trash pandas — have penetrated one of the most prestigious tournaments of the year to watch world-class tennis and scavenge from some of New York City’s trendiest food sellers. Possibly most astonishingly, they have avoided paying the astronomical ticket fees that have become a hallmark of the celebrity-studded event.

Fans see a 2022 US Open match between Serena Williams and Anett Kontaveit.

AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson

WhatIsNewYork, an Instagram account dedicated to chronicling New York City “through the perspective of New Yorkers,” released a video of a seemingly tranquil raccoon yawning and cuddling under the stands at Louis Armstrong Stadium during a baseball game.

“Just distributing tickets to anyone today? What is #New York? “Along with a credit for the video’s owner, the caption read: @rnicol02:

A post from WhatIsNewYork (@whatisnewyork) on Twitter.

This is not the first time trash pandas, as Reddit once termed the North American creatures, have been discovered on the historic grounds in Queens. Peter Hutchison, a New York-based reporter for AFP, tweeted a photo of a raccoon in Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2020.

—Peter Hutchison (@HutchisonPeter) On Twitter.

September 4, 2020

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the yearly event was held without spectators that year, thus the raccoons were free to roam as they liked. As a result, they appeared on several television screens around the world.

A day after Hutchinson spotted a raccoon inside Arthur Ashe, a pair of furry admirers were spotted creeping over a pathway at the South Gate of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, with the huge stainless steel globe as the backdrop.

—doublefault28 (@doublefault28)

September 6, 2020

Soon after, ESPN’s Pilar Pérez spotted a raccoon scurrying under the covered seats at one of the three stadiums on the grounds:

—Pilar Pérez (@pilarperezr)

September 8, 2020

And those at home who were watching a sport on ESPN witnessed the insects scamper across the stands:

—Erin Hornbaker (@ehornbaker)

September 8, 2020

Someone even took the trouble to create the @USOpenRaccoons Twitter account in recognition of the raccoons’ accomplishment. According to its bio, the account belongs to “Roddick and Becker, two trash pandas who reside near Court 11 at the US Open behind a Heineken cart.”

It is unknown how many raccoons are present at this year’s tournament or whether the US Open has attempted to remove the trash pandas from the stadiums once that spectators have returned. Regardless, it is safe to assume that the Internet will be prepared to report any trash panda sightings in Flushing Meadows during the last week of this tournament.