British tennis star Katie Boulter has admitted that the smell of cannabis at the US Open is a huge distraction, with some players complaining about specific courts. The issue was previously raised by Novak Djokovic last year.
Players' complaints over cannabis smell
The USTA enforces a strict no-smoking policy on the grounds of the US Open, but players can smell the drug from around the 900-acre park. Djokovic voiced his concerns last year, saying: "You can really smell the smell, it’s not like you can miss it. Some people are more disturbed than others. I’m not a fan of the smell either, it stinks. But it’s allowed here and you have to accept it. You can feel it everywhere, from the training grounds to the courts where we play our matches. That’s how it is."
Boulter, who faces Carol Young Suh Lee in the first round, expressed similar concerns. "Yeah, I have experienced it," she said when asked about the smell. "You go down to the practice courts and down in the park courts, you do smell it a lot."
Boulter's concerns and past complaints
"I’m not a huge fan of it. As I said, I know a lot of players have complained on some of the specific courts. I haven’t hit on them yet, so I don’t know if it still is or isn’t the case [this year]," she added. "It’s something that I wouldn’t like to smell in the middle of my match. I’m trying to focus and obviously it takes you out of the moment and you don’t need distractions."
The issue has plagued the tournament for some time, with Martina Hingis complaining back in 2014. Nick Kyrgios also vented his frustrations during a second-round win over Benjamin Bonzi in 2022, saying: "It was f***ing marijuana. Obviously, I’m not going to complain about food smells, but probably not something I want to be breathing in between points."
USTA response
In a statement, the USTA said: "While we can’t control what takes place off the grounds, we continue to be vigilant as we maintain this facility as a smoke-free environment. This includes enforcement by our security and guest services teams when they are made aware of any individual that may be smoking, making them aware that although it may be legal in New York, that smoking is not permitted on parks property, including the tennis centre. We constantly work with the NYPD and Parks Department, and we believe this has helped to decrease smoking near our fence line."
