Aryna Sabalenka Addresses Cannabis Smell During US Open Match

Aryna Sabalenka has played in some wild atmospheres, but this was a new one even for the world No 1: stopping a US Open match mid-game to complain about the overpowering smell of cannabis drifting across Louis Armstrong Stadium.

She had already raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set against Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova on Friday, locked in and swinging freely, when the breeze brought something else into the contest.

“Someone is smoking weed,” Sabalenka told chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore as she stepped up to serve at 30-0. “Would you mind to… because it’s so strong.”

Play paused briefly as she gestured towards the stands, the exchange capturing a familiar modern US Open subplot: elite athletes trying to focus while a distinctly New York haze wafts through the air.

Sabalenka regained her composure quickly enough, closing out a straight-sets win, but the incident did not end with that brief on-court complaint. Speaking later, she made it clear this was not a moral crusade, just a plea for basic working conditions.

“I was like, Guys, you can do whatever, you can smoke whatever, you can relax as much as you can,” she said with a smile. “But please do not do it around the tennis courts. It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best.”

The smell of cannabis has become an almost regular character at Flushing Meadows in recent years. Players have spoken before about catching whiffs of it during matches, a jarring contrast to the precision and tension on court. The tournament bans smoking inside the grounds, yet the reality of New York law — recreational cannabis is legal for adults 21 and over — means the surrounding Flushing Meadows-Corona Park often tells a different story.

When the wind turns, the park’s smoke can creep into the tennis complex and settle over the courts. On Friday, Sabalenka said, it was stronger than anything she had experienced mid-match.

“That strong, yeah. Also, because it was a bit windy,” she explained. “I don’t know if it was coming from the crowd or was from the outside because the wind blows it into the stadium.”

She did not demand sanctions, nor did she linger on the subject for long. Her request was simple.

“I just hope they are a bit more aware of that stuff,” Sabalenka said, before laughing as reporters circled back to the topic yet again. “Come on, guys. I think there is nothing else to say about weed. I’m just asking people not to smoke it next to the tennis court.”

New York will keep its edge. The park will keep its habits. The question now is whether the US Open can keep the line between the city’s freedoms and a champion’s need to breathe.