Aryna Sabalenka stops play at US Open to complain about the smell of WEED after claiming a fan was ‘smoking’ inside Louis Armstrong stadium
Aryna Sabalenka was forced to stop her third-round match against Kamila Rakhimova to complain about someone allegedly smoking weed inside the US Open’s Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The court is the second-largest of the tournament’s showcourts, but despite the venerable setting, Sabalenka was so disturbed by the smell of what she believed to be marijuana that while serving in the third game, she called for the umpire after first speaking to her team.
‘Someone is smoking weed,’ she said as she paused play at 30-0 up to speak to the chair umpire. ‘Would you mind to (tell them to deal with it) because it’s so strong.’
The world No1 had been serving at the south end of the stadium, close to where her team were seated in the players’ box. The chair umpire quickly radioed for assistance, with members of US Open staff believed to have headed into the crowd in a bid to find the source of the smell.
The smell of cannabis is not unexpected around the grounds of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, due to its position inside Flushing Meadows Corona Park, where weed can be smoked legally by those relaxing in the sunshine.
It is however forbidden, along with all forms of smoking, inside the tournament. The US Open has been contacted for comment.
Aryna Sabalenka alleged that a spectator was smoking weed during her US Open match
During qualifying and ahead of the start of the tournament, a number of British players noted the unique smell of the grounds, with Katie Boulter particularly disapproving of how the stink hung around Court 17 – referred to in the Danish media as ‘hash court’ for how strongly the smell lingers in the air.
‘I have experienced it,’ Boulter, who was knocked out on Wednesday by Karolina Muchova, shared. ‘You got down to the practice courts and down in the park courts, you do smell it a lot.
‘I’m not a huge fan of it. I know a lot of players have complained on specific courts. I’ve played on (Court 17) before and I did smell it during my match. It’s something that I wouldn’t like to smell in the middle of my match.’
In response, the USTA shared the following 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.
‘This includes enforcement by our security and guest services teams when they are made aware of any individual that may be smoking, making them aware that although it may be legal in New York, that smoking is not permitted on parks property, including the tennis center.
‘We constantly work with the NYPD and Parks Department, and we believe this has helped to decrease smoking near our fenceline.’
READ MORE – Inside the US Open’s notorious ‘hash court’ – which Alexander Zverev once labelled ‘Snoop Dogg’s living room’ – as British stars contend with ‘one of the worst’ smells at Flushing Meadows
