Janina Nuno Rios
World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka had an unusual interruption during her US Open third-round match on Friday, stopping play to alert the umpire to a strong smell of cannabis drifting on to Louis Armstrong Stadium court.
Sabalenka, who had made a fast start to go 3-0 ahead before securing a straight-sets win against Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova, raised the issue during her second service game, pointing out the smell before play resumed.
“Someone is smoking weed,” top seed Sabalenka told umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore as she was serving 30-0 up. “Would you mind to… because it’s so strong.”
Sabalenka later told reporters she was not objecting to anyone enjoying themselves, but pleaded for the smoking to be kept away from the court.
“I was like, guys, you can do whatever, you can smoke whatever, you can relax as much as you can, but please to not do it around the tennis courts,” a smiling Sabalenka said. “It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best.”
The odour of cannabis has become a familiar — if unwelcome — feature at Flushing Meadows, with players complaining about the distraction in the past.
While smoking is not permitted inside the grounds, recreational cannabis is legal for adults over 21 in New York and smoke from people in the surrounding Flushing Meadows-Corona Park can drift into the tennis complex and on to the courts.
Sabalenka said she had smelled cannabis before during the tournament but never so strongly during a match, with Friday’s wind apparently carrying the odour into the stadium.
“That strong, yeah. Also, because it was a bit windy,” she said. “I don’t know if it was coming from the crowd or was from the outside because the wind blows it into the stadium.
“I just hope they are a bit more aware of that stuff,” she added, before laughing when the questions returned to the subject. “Come on, guys. I think there is nothing else to say about weed. I’m just asking people not to smoke it next to the tennis court.”
Pegula echoes concerns
World No.3 Jessica Pegula, who was playing at the same time next door in Arthur Ashe Stadium, echoed Sabalenka’s remarks.
“It makes it New York that it’s so kind of all over the place and chaotic,” Pegula said. “But I do think that there are things that maybe could be better suited towards helping the match be a tennis match and not letting other factors kind of interfere.”
The incident came amid controversy over the growing presence of influencers and content creators and questions over their impact on players and the on-court atmosphere.
“As far as like the influencer things… tennis etiquette, it’s something you have to learn as you go to these events,” Pegula said. “The smoking weed, you probably just shouldn’t do that. I feel like that should be a known thing.”
Reuters
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