The Cincinnati Open has a prestigious place at the heart of the tennis calendar, with its positioning as the final big tournament before the US Open ensuring it will attract the best players in the world.
A glance at the recent roll call of winners confirms it includes the game’s modern greats from Carlos Alcaraz to Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, as well as Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff, with the tournament logo confirming this historic event has been in existence since 1899.
The stands at this event tend to be packed as excitement builds towards the final Grand Slam of the tennis year, with some classic matches played on the courts at the Lindner Family Tennis Centre a tennis facility in Mason, Ohio.
This should be a glorious celebration of tennis, with the focus trained on the superstars on the courts and the drama they are creating for the crowd on site and those watching on TV around the world.
Yet not for the first time, the Cincinnati Open tournament organisers have helped to ruin their own tournament with a decision that is making the event difficult to watch for all viewers.
More Tennis News
Time and again over the last few years, exciting matches on the main show courts have been drowned out by booming music and exceptionally loud PA announcements coming from adjacent courts.
When a match ends on one court, the volume levels tournament organisers insist on booming around the site has been so far over the top that it has become a major distraction to the events on the court.
We had the greatest hits of Irish rock giants U2 blaring around the Lindner Family Tennis Centre while matches were taking place on Sunday and there have been moments when singers have been brought in to blast out the American national anthem while professional players are trying to do their job in the heat of battle.
The return of Serena Williams to the Cincinnati Open should have been one of the highlights of the event, but the conclusion of her doubles match with sister Venus Williams was tarnished by booming music and PA announcements from an adjacent court that not only ruined a thrilling doubles match for the fans packed in to watch, but also ensured the TV viewers were asking why we needed this distracting sideshow.
Roll the clock back a few weeks and if a phone goes off on the sedate Centre Court at Wimbledon, everyone in the areas booed and lets the offending person know they have made a big mistake.
Players are distracted by noises and rowdy fans shouting out at inappropriate moments, but Cincinnati Open organisers clearly feel their need to play music at extravagant volumes and use a PA system that is going a long way to ruining their event is productive.
“There is a lot of music and noise. It must be pretty distracting,” declared former world No 1 doubles player Jamie Murray during his commentary on Sky Sports and no one trying to watch this mess of an event would disagree with him.
Adam Walton and Jamie Faria’s singles match was another moment when the noise from an alternative court was distracting the players, with the players asking the umpire if they could do anything to turn down the volume.
Yet it seems that Cincinnati Open organisers are more interested in entertaining fans in between matches than allowing the tennis to take centre stage. What a shame.
READ NEXT: What is Alex Eala’s ranking after Cincinnati Open exit? Filipina star set for milestone
