It has become a stink at the US Open: a pungent marijuana smell that wafted over an outer court, clouded the concentration of one of the world’s top players and left the impression there is no place left to escape the unofficial scent of the city.
While the exact source of the smell remained a mystery on Tuesday, one thing was clear: Court 17, where eighth-seeded Maria Sakkari complained about an overwhelming whiff of pot during her first-round loss, has become notorious among players in the past few years for its distinctive, unmistakable odor.
“Court 17 definitely smells like Snoop Dogg’s living room,” said Alexander Zverev, the tournament’s 12th-seeded man who won his opening match on the court on Tuesday. “Oh my God, it’s everywhere. The whole court smells like weed.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
Stung by stories in the wake of Sakkari’s match on Monday that made it appear the US Open’s stands are the sporting equivalent of a Phish concert, the US Tennis Association conducted its own investigation, of sorts, to weed out the source of the smell.
Spokesman Chris Widmaier said the association questioned officials and reviewed video of the midday match and found “no evidence” anyone was smoking pot in the stands of Court 17, leading to speculation it might have come from Corona Park just outside the gates of the intimate stadium court.
He might not be just blowing smoke. Sakkari suggested just that when she complained to the chair umpire while up 4-1 in the first set.
“The smell, oh my gosh. I think it’s from the park,” she said.
After her 6-4, 6-4 loss to Rebeka Masarova, Sakkari told reporters: “Sometimes you smell food, sometimes you smell cigarettes, sometimes you smell weed. I mean, it’s something we cannot control, because we’re in an open space. There’s a park behind. People can do whatever they want.”
Flushing Meadows security staffer Ricardo Rojas, who was working the gate outside Court 17 on Monday, said he took a break in the park around the time of Sakkari’s match and “there was definitely a pot smell going on.”
He added that while he enforces a strict no-smoking policy inside the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the park is “outside my jurisdiction.”
It is legal in New York for adults 21 and older to possess up to three ounces of cannabis and up to 24g of concentrated cannabis for personal use, and they may smoke or vape cannabis wherever smoking tobacco is allowed.
Rojas said that cannabis odors have become an inescapable fact of life.
“Turn every corner and you smell it. It’s part of our world now. You’ve got to get used to it,” he said.
So what would he tell Sakkari or any other player who complains about pot during a world-class competition?
“Try it... It might help you relax,” he said.
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