US Open: Aryna Sabalenka stops match after being disturbed by cannabis smell

Aryna Sabalenka had a simple request during her US Open third-round match: keep the cannabis smoke away from the tennis court.

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Someone is smoking weed. Can you do something? The smell is really strong.

At 3-0 and 30-0 in the first set, the world number one stopped play and alerted the umpire to a strong smell coming from the stands. "Someone is smoking weed. Can you do something? The smell is really strong," she said. The interruption lasted several minutes.

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You can do whatever you want, smoke whatever you want, relax as much as you want, but please do not do it near the tennis courts.

Sabalenka, the tournament's two-time defending champion, went on to beat Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4 on Louis Armstrong Stadium and reach the last 16. Speaking with a smile at her news conference, she said spectators could smoke and relax as they wished, but not beside the tennis courts. The wind, she added, made it unclear whether the smell came from spectators or from outside the stadium.

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For me, it is the worst thing about New York. The smell is everywhere, even on the courts. You have to accept it, but it is not my favorite smell.

Recreational cannabis is legal for adults over 21 in New York state, and the smell can reach the tournament from people in nearby Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The article notes that the issue has become familiar at the US Open. Casper Ruud previously called the smell irritating, Novak Djokovic said it could be detected throughout the grounds, and Alexander Zverev compared Court 17 to Snoop Dogg's living room.

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You can really smell it. It is not as if you can miss it. You smell it everywhere, from the practice courts to the courts where we play our matches. That is how it is.