‘Strong’ smell of marijuana sees world number one halt US Open match
US Open defending champion Aryna Sabalenka briefly stopped play over the smell of canabis wafting over her match
World number one Aryna Sabalenka called a halt to her third-round match at the US Open after complaining about the “strong” smell of marijuana.
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The two-time defending champion was leading in her first set against Kamilla Rakhimova on Louis Armstrong Stadium when she stopped abruptly, spoke to her team, and approached the umpire.
“Someone is smoking weed,” Sabalenka told umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore. “Would you mind to… because it’s so strong.”
Asderaki-Moore then spoke to an official via radio and turned to someone else behind her, making a smoking gesture with her fingers, before play continued.
This is not the first report of the smell of weed permeating the US Open location, Flushing Meadows in Queens. However, it has broadly been confined to the outside courts.
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Smoking of any kind is prohibited on the site itself, but the US Open is located next to Corona Park. Cannabis is legal to smoke in public outdoor spaces in New York State.
The United States Tennis Association has been approached for comment.
Sabalenka, who went on to win the match 6-3 6-4, said afterwards: “I was, like, ‘Guys, you can do whatever, you can smoke whatever, you can relax as much as you can, but please, do not do it around the tennis courts’."
The world number one said: “It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best. I felt like I have to tell the umpire, maybe, like, they can see the person smoking so he can do it somewhere else.
“Also, because it was a bit windy, I don’t know if it was, like, coming from the crowd or was from the outside because the wind blows it into the stadium.
“I don’t know. I just hope they’re going to be a bit more aware of that stuff.
“Maybe (the match) is too fast so they want to slow down a little bit, so who knows? I don’t know the effect from it.”
Sabalenka was then mischievously asked how much of a high she was on after the match.
“High? The level? Now I can only hear the weed stuff,” she replied. “If they’re gonna keep smoking, I might get high!”
Sabalenka is not the first player to notice the smell of cannabis around the grounds. British number one Katie Boulter said that the aroma was “distracting”.
The USTA responded to the complaints earlier in the week by saying: “While we can’t control what takes place off the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, we continue to be vigilant as we maintain this facility as a smoke-free environment.”
Smoking is not the only distraction complained about by US Open players in 2026.
Top ranked players Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka both responded to questions about influencers talking and taking photos during game points.
Gauff said: “Any venue you come to, you have to follow that etiquette towards it.
“I think it might be on some of the brands to, to maybe have a sign plastered in the suite so that they know because sometimes it’s their first tennis match.”
This was concurred by Osaka at a separate conference, who said: “I think obviously if you come to a sporting event you have to respect the sport, and I feel like it's common courtesy to read up on the sport, especially the etiquette.”
Both players said they believe there are a lot of benefits of opening the sport up to new demographics, but they hope the stadiums will be calmer for future matches.