Billy Idol Still Makes the US Open Look Like Punk Rock
Billy Idol goes to the 2026 US Open with ESPN and “Dancing With Myself” in tow. Before there was Yungblud, before Sombr, before half the current crop of cheekbone-forward boys discovered peroxide and a sneer, there was thee original gorgeous punk-pop troublemaker doing it with actual mileage behind him.
ESPN tapped Billy Idol and longtime guitarist Steve Stevens for its 2026 US Open coverage, folding Idol’s music into the network’s New York tennis takeover. Along with a special US Open-themed version of “Hot in the City,” ESPN is also featuring his forever-strutting classic “Dancing With Myself” throughout the tournament.
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Billy Idol, Still in Rotation
The sneer survives. Revisit Billy Idol’s official world, then bring a little leather-and-new-wave energy into your own rotation.
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And really, who better? Idol has spent decades turning punk attitude into pop spectacle without sanding off the part that made him dangerous-looking in the first place. “Dancing With Myself” began with Generation X before becoming one of the records that helped launch his solo career in America, and more than four decades later it still sounds perfectly happy starting a fight with whatever decade happens to be playing it.
The US Open placement also lands during a major career moment: Idol and Stevens are part of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2026. ESPN leaning into that history while dropping him into one of New York’s biggest sporting events feels less like nostalgia and more like a reminder that the blueprint is still standing right there.
So yes, the new boys can keep the eyeliner, shag cuts and beautifully disaffected staring contests. We support thee ecosystem sometimes. But when Billy Idol turns up on-screen with that face, that hair and that instantly recognizable voice, suddenly everybody else looks like they are still waiting for orientation.
The hair remains undefeated. The sneer remains employed. The song remains ridiculous in thee best possible way.
Watch Billy Idol’s “Hot in the City” 2026 US Open Edition
ESPN’s US Open collaboration also gives “Hot in the City” a special tournament-themed treatment for the network’s 2026 coverage.
And because one Idol anthem clearly was not enough for Flushing Meadows, ESPN also reworked “Hot in the City” into a US Open-specific edition — a very on-brand choice for late-summer New York, where the temperature, crowd and Billy Idol cheekbones are all doing entirely too much.
Watch Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself” 2026 US Open Video
ESPN’s US Open collaboration puts Billy Idol and his new-wave staple into the network’s 2026 tournament coverage.
Source: ESPN / ESPN Press Room.
