The US Open, one of the most anticipated tennis tournaments of the year, kicked off on Monday, August 28th in the iconic Flushing Meadows Park in New York. Apart from the matches already providing excitement, an unusual occurrence has caught attention. Several players have complained about the strong smell of cannabis, as reported by RMC Sport.
“Every corner of the court has different smells. It can be weed on one side, something else on the other… It’s not necessarily easy, but you have to deal with it. There’s a lot of audience passing by, a lot of movement; there are many small elements that can be excuses. After missing a forehand, you also have to accept it’s your fault and not the person who shouted or moved,” said French player Adrian Mannarino after his first-round victory against Yosuke Watanuki from Japan (7-5, 6-7, 6-3, 7-5).
Greek player Maria Sakkari faced the same inconvenience on court number 17 during her first-round match. Unfortunately, she was defeated with a score of 6-4, 6-4 by Swiss-Spanish player Rebeka Masarova. Maria Sakkari even expressed her dissatisfaction to the chair umpire regarding these issues. “Sometimes, you smell food, sometimes you smell cigarettes, sometimes you smell weed,” said the 8th-ranked player to the press. “I mean, it’s something we cannot control, because we are in an open space. There’s a park behind. People can do whatever they want…”
German player Alexander Zverev, who beat Aleksandar Vukic from Australia (6-4, 6-4, 6-4) on the same court, made a similar observation in a more vivid way. “Court 17 definitely smells like Snoop Dogg’s living room. Oh my God, everywhere. The whole court smells like weed,” analyzed the 12th-seeded player. Gaël Monfils made the same observation on Tuesday. “It smells strong here, doesn’t it? Wow… This is ridiculous,” he exclaimed to the chair umpire.
A Park Under Scrutiny In response to the numerous complaints from discontented players, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) launched a thorough investigation to determine the origin of the scented aromas in question. The USTA conducted a meticulous review of the matches, paying particular attention to the stands of the famous court number 17. The conclusions of this investigation clearly indicate the absence of any evidence corroborating the presence of cannabis consumption in that environment.
However, attention remains fixed on the expansive Corona Park, which lies adjacent to courts 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 19. This place seems to be a favorite spot for smoking-related activities. It appears that this phenomenon goes beyond the scope of the US Open and takes on a broader cultural dimension, permeating the city’s atmosphere as a whole.
“At every corner, you can smell it. It’s now part of our world. You have to get used to it,” said Ricardo Rojas, a member of Flushing Meadows’ security, to the Associated Press.
