'I stopped Taylor Swift singing at US Open and it's the worst decision I ever made'
Taylor Swift was blocked from singing at the US Open before achieving global stardom.
Taylor Swift was once stopped from singing at the US Open by entertainment producer Michael Fuir in what he described as the worst decision of his life. Swift is arguably the biggest pop star in the world, having emerged as a global icon over the last decade.
The 34-year-old is one of the best-selling artists in history and is regularly hailed as the most influential music figure of her generation. Her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, achieved a staggering 2.6million sales in its first week of release including 1.4m on day one.
Before achieving fame and fortune, Swift appeared at the US Open to sing the national anthem as a relative unknown in 2001 and 2002. She was initially set to return to Flushing Meadows in 2003 but was prevented from singing the anthem by veteran entertainment producer Fuir.
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Discussing what happened on the Served podcast with Andy Roddick, Fuir explained that Swift was snubbed due to fears that her country style would fail to appease the New York crowd.
He said: "Her father asked us if we’d put her on Arthur Ashe Kids' Day, and we said: 'She’s just taking off, she’s really country, we don’t think that would play in New York'. I do not share this publicly very often. Worst decision I ever made."
Swift attended this year's US Open alongside her boyfriend Travis Kelce to watch the men's singles final between Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner. They were spotted embracing in the crowd and their presence at the match dominated headlines around the world.
Roddick is also a huge admirer of Swift, both for her musical prowess and her political views following her endorsement of Kamala Harris ahead of the upcoming presidential election.
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He recently criticised Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner for urging Swift to avoid bringing politics into her live shows.
Discussing her popular Eras Tour, Faulkner said: "The tickets are extremely expensive to go see her. And, uh, if we're going to pay that much money as consumers, you don't need to serve up politics for that.
"It's divided us as a nation, why can't you go to a concert without that? She can vote any kind of way she wants, she can talk about it off stage, but when people pay to see you, just perform."
Roddick hit back at Faulkner with a post on X, formerly Twitter, writing: "Imagine someone telling Taylor Swift how/what to perform. At her own show. Imagine telling her to shut up and dribble."
