Aryna Sabalenka complains about smell of marijuana during US Open match
AP News • • sports
Key Points:
- Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending U.S. Open champion, complained about the strong smell of marijuana during her third-round match, which she said affected her concentration while serving.
- Sabalenka approached the chair umpire early in the match to report the odor, expressing frustration and requesting that smoking not occur near the courts.
- Other players, including Nick Kyrgios and Maria Sakkari, have previously raised similar complaints about marijuana smells at the U.S. Open, likely originating from a nearby park.
- The U.S. Tennis Association stated that while they cannot control off-site smoking, they enforce a smoke-free policy within the tennis center and have not found any fans smoking on-site.
- Despite the distraction, Sabalenka won her match and later joked about the situation during her post-match press conference.
