Marijuana Smell Becomes Unbearable at US Open as Aryna Sabalenka Loses Her Temper

Aryna Sabalenka had more trouble with the atmosphere in the stands than with Kamilla Rakhimova during her 6-3, 6-4 US Open victory. The world No. 1 became visibly irritated by a strong marijuana smell and appealed directly to the match umpire.

“Someone is smoking weed in the stands. Can you do something? Because the smell is so strong!” Sabalenka said during the match. The incident did not derail her progress, and she secured a place in the next round.

The complaint came during a perfect start to the tournament for Sabalenka, the champion of the previous two US Open editions. She had dropped only 15 games across her first three matches and was continuing her pursuit of a third consecutive title in New York.

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Someone is smoking weed in the stands. Can you do something? Because the smell is so strong!

Speaking at her news conference, Sabalenka said players should be free to relax, but not around the tennis courts. “You can do whatever you want, you can smoke whatever you want, you can relax as much as you want, but please don’t do that around the tennis courts,” she said. She added that the smell had been unusually strong and that wind made it difficult to determine whether it came from the crowd or outside.

The article says the issue has surfaced at Flushing Meadows before, with several players complaining that marijuana smoke reaches the court. It also points to growing discussion about influencers in the stands. Noise during points, movement at inappropriate moments and camera flashes can distract players and affect their concentration during matches.

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You can do whatever you want, you can smoke whatever you want, you can relax as much as you want, but please don’t do that around the tennis courts.