World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka stopped her US Open match on Friday to complain about the strong smell of marijuana coming from the stands, an issue that has become a recurring complaint among players at the New York Grand Slam in recent years.
“Someone is smoking marijuana. Could you do something? Because it’s very strong,” the Belarusian told the chair umpire as she approached the net during the third game of her third-round match against Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova.
After the match, Sabalenka explained that she had also spoken to spectators at Louis Armstrong Stadium, the second-largest court at Flushing Meadows.
“I told them something like: ‘Guys, you can do whatever you want, smoke whatever you want, relax as much as you can, but please don’t do it near the tennis courts,’” she said.
“It’s a little complicated to deal with that smell when you’re trying to give your best in a competition,” Sabalenka added with a smile.
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She said the smell had become too strong and that she felt she needed to alert the umpire in case officials could identify the person smoking and ask them to move elsewhere.
Sabalenka also acknowledged that she was not completely certain whether the smell was actually coming from inside the stadium.
Marijuana consumption has been legal in New York since 2021, and numerous tennis players have commented on the smell around the US Open in recent years.
