Picture this: You are the world number one tennis player, locked into a high-stakes third-round battle at Flushing Meadows, and suddenly the match comes to a grinding halt because someone a few rows up decided to light up.
That is exactly what happened to Aryna Sabalenka during her US Open clash against Kamilla Rakhimova at Louis Armstrong Stadium. Leading 3-0 in the opening set, Sabalenka walked over to chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore, pointed into the stands, and flat-out complained about the heavy, unmistakable scent of cannabis drifting across the court.
"Someone is smoking weed," Sabalenka told the official, asking if security could handle it because the odor was getting impossible to ignore.
The Unique Chaos of New York Tennis
New York is a different beast for professional athletes. Recreational marijuana has been fully legal for adults aged 21 and older across the state, and the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center sits right next to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. That proximity creates a persistent sensory challenge for the tournament.
While the USTA maintains a strict smoke-free policy inside the tournament grounds, stopping fans from vaping or smoking in the seats, enforcing it completely when public parks surround the perimeter is an uphill battle. Wind currents carry the scent right into open-air stadiums like Louis Armstrong, catching players off guard.
Sabalenka is not even the first player to deal with this headache. Other competitors, including Katie Boulter and Adrian Mannarino, have openly talked about noticing the strong smell during practice sessions and matches on outer courts. Court 17 has earned a quiet reputation among players for catching drifts from the surrounding parkland.
Handling the Distraction Like a Pro
Instead of letting the bizarre interruption derail her rhythm, Sabalenka shrugged it off with classic dry humor once the match wrapped up. She didn't throw a tantrum; she just handled the weirdness of modern sports entertainment with a laugh.
"I was like, guys, you can do whatever, you can smoke whatever, you can relax as much as you can, but please, do not do it around the tennis courts," Sabalenka joked in her post-match press conference. "It's a bit tricky to handle that smell while you're trying to compete at your best."
She even cracked up the media room by deadpanning that if the fans kept it up near the court line, she might catch a contact high herself.
Beyond the cannabis clouds, the match itself turned into a genuine physical test. After cruising through the first set 6-3, Sabalenka ran into a brick wall in the second. Rakhimova dug deep, turning games into brutal baseline slugfests that forced the top seed to grind out a 6-4 finish. The second set alone stretched to 54 minutes—longer than Sabalenka's entire previous match.
A Broader Trend of Crowd Etiquette Issues
The weed incident highlights a wider conversation happening across tennis right now. Player patience with spectator behavior is wearing thin.
Between loud fans trying to film viral social media content, influencers disrupting play for Instagram reels, and general disregard for quiet zones during service motions, the atmosphere at major tournaments has shifted. Grand Slam organizers are trying to balance a lively, entertainment-heavy fan experience with the absolute focus required for elite sport, but the lines are blurring fast.
For now, Sabalenka’s title defense rolls on. She cleared the hurdle, kept her cool through the smoke, and advanced deeper into the draw. If crowds want to relax in New York, they just need to do it a few hundred yards further away from the baseline.
