According to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press, on September 4 local time, during the third round of the women's singles at the U.S. Tennis Open, world No. 1 and top seed Alina Zagadkova complained to the referee after detecting a highly concentrated smell of marijuana during the match, causing a brief interruption to the game.
According to reports, on that day, against Uzbek player Rahimova, Sabalenka led 3-0 in the first set. Just as she was preparing to serve, she suddenly stopped and walked towards the referee’s table. She said to the chief referee, “Someone is smoking marijuana. Can you take care of it? The smell is just too strong.”
The chief referee immediately informed the on-site security and officials via radio, and gestured with a “smoking” hand to have the personnel behind handle the situation. The match resumed after a short interruption. Sabalenga was not significantly affected, and she easily won the match with a score of 6-3, 6-2, advancing to the fourth round. This continued her streak of victories at the US Open.
At the post-match press conference, a reporter asked whether she felt that the atmosphere at the US Open was more “exhilarating” than other Grand Slam events. Sabalenka responded with a smile: “Exhilarating? Right now, all I can think of is marijuana. If they keep smoking, I might get so stoned that I’ll lose consciousness.”
She then said seriously, “Guys, you can do whatever you want. You can smoke whatever you want, and relax in any way you like. But please don’t do that near the tennis court. When you’re trying your best to compete, you have to endure that smell… it’s really uncomfortable.”
She also added that she had smelled marijuana before at the US Open, but “this is the first time she has smelled it in such a strong concentration.” Due to the wind blowing that day, she couldn’t tell whether the smell came from people in the audience or from the outside of the venue.
According to American media reports, Sabalenko is not the only player at the US Open this year who has complained about the strong marijuana smell. British players Katie Bortel, Harriet Dart, and Francesca Jones have also mentioned this issue. Over the past few years, many famous tennis players such as Djokovic, Zvulević, Sakař, and Kiriyos have openly complained or protested about the persistent ‘marijuana smell’ at the US Open.
Zviel even jokingly described the notorious Field 17 of the US Open as "smelling like Snopp Dogg's living room," saying, "Oh my God, that smell is everywhere."
Although there is a strict no-smoking policy within the Menlo Park area, marijuana is legal for adults over 21 in New York State. Additionally, the stadium is located near Corona Park, a public park open to the public. As a result, the smell of marijuana used by visitors in the park often drifts into the stadium.
In this incident, no spectators were found smoking inside the stadium, and no one was ejected as a result. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) was also helpless. A spokesperson stated that the association has no control over what happens outside the venue’s park, but they will continue to maintain a “non-smoking environment” at the stadium. If they receive reports of people smoking inside the stadium, the security and customer service teams will act immediately.
