Weed Woes at US Open: Marijuana Smell Continues to Plague Players, Fans in Flushing
The persistent issue of marijuana odor continues to plague the U.S. Open, leading to complaints from top players like Aryna Sabalenka and past competitors such as Alexander Zverev and Nick Kyrgios. Despite venue smoking prohibitions, the scent drifts in from nearby Flushing Meadows Corona Park due to cannabis's legality in New York City, posing a unique challenge for organizers and disrupting both players and fans.
The issue of marijuana odor at the U.S. Open is a persistent problem that has drawn complaints from players and fans for many years. Despite smoking being prohibited inside the National Tennis Center, the scent often drifts into the grounds because cannabis is legal in New York City and the venue is situated within a public park, Flushing Meadows Corona Park. This recurring challenge highlights the difficulties organizers face in controlling external environmental factors.
Most recently, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka paused her third-round match on Friday to complain to the chair umpire about the strong odor. Sabalenka, a two-time defending Open champion, was playing at Louis Armstrong Stadium when she detected the smell. She is not the first player to raise concerns during this year's tournament; British player Katie Boulter noted during qualifying that the smell is prevalent near practice courts and park areas, expressing her dislike and the distraction it causes during matches, stating, "You don't need distractions."
Complaints about the marijuana smell are not new to the U.S. Open. In 2023, Alexander Zverev famously remarked that "Court 17 definitely smells like Snoop Dogg’s living room. Oh my God, it’s everywhere." Maria Sakkari also complained while on Court 17 in the same year, attributing the smell to the park. A year earlier, in 2022, Nick Kyrgios, who suffers from asthma, asked the chair umpire to address the smell during his second-round match at Armstrong Stadium, experiencing difficulty breathing.
Officials typically respond to these complaints by making public announcements that smoking is not permitted within the Open grounds. In Sabalenka’s incident, the umpire used a smoking gesture to alert officials, who then scoured the crowd for an offender, though none was found, and play resumed. Earlier in the current tournament, French player Adrian Mannarino mentioned the smell as a footnote to his broader complaints about the overall atmosphere, which he described as "a bit of a zoo" due to crowd movement and noise during points.
The disruptive nature of the smell is also felt by fans. Kim Jones, a former Open juniors player and tennis enthusiast from Darien, Connecticut, stated that the odor is "incredibly disruptive to players and fans alike," making it difficult for players to perform optimally and for paying spectators to enjoy the experience. She emphasized the need for monitoring and enforcement within the venue.
In response to these ongoing concerns, U.S. Tennis Association spokesman Brendan McIntyre issued a statement: “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.”
Historically, complaints about smells at the U.S. Open date back to at least 1982, when former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash recalled a "cloud of smoke coming from one of the hot dog stands." Thankfully, modern culinary offerings like chicken tenders with caviar do not pose such issues, but the distinct smell of marijuana remains a unique challenge for the tournament organizers and participants.