Aryna Sabalenka complained to the chair umpire about a strong marijuana odour disrupting her serve during match against Kamilla Rakhimova
The disruption took place at Louis Armstrong Stadium, where Sabalenka halted her serve before seeking official assistance
Sabalenka noted the smell was unusually intense and urged people not to smoke near the competition courts
US Open 2026: Aryna Sabalenka Distracted by Strong Marijuana Odour During Win Over Kamilla Rakhimova
The two-time defending champion approached the chair umpire after the odour unsettled her serve, urging spectators to avoid smoking around tennis courts during matches
Summary
Aryna Sabalenka said the smell of marijuana was distracting her during her third-round victory over Kamilla Rakhimova at the U.S. Open on Friday. The two-time defending champion raised the matter with the chair umpire early in the match, and the smell appeared to unsettle her serve in Louis Armstrong Stadium.
She said she had never smelled the odour so strongly while playing. “I don’t know if it was, like, coming from the crowd or was from the outside because the wind blows it into the stadium,” Sabalenka said. “I don’t know. I just hope they’re going to be a bit more aware of that stuff.”
Sabalenka was serving in the third game when she tossed the ball and let it fall to the court. She did the same on the next point before walking to the chair umpire for help.
“I was like, guys, you can do whatever, you can smoke whatever, you can relax as much as you can, but please, to not do it around the tennis courts,” Sabalenka said. “It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best.”
Sabalenka Explains Complaint
The issue came early and kept bothering her. Sabalenka later said the smell was stronger than anything she had noticed before while serving in the opening games.
Past Smell Complaints
Other players, including Nick Kyrgios and Maria Sakkari, have complained in the past about marijuana odour during U.S. Open matches. A park behind the grounds is often seen as the likely source of the smell.
USTA Response
No fans were found smoking and no one was ejected from the tennis grounds. The USTA said it remained vigilant around the venue and noted that it cannot control what happens off the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
“While we can’t control what takes place off the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, we continue to be vigilant as we maintain this facility as a smoke free environment,” U.S. Tennis Association spokesman Brendan McIntyre said in a statement. “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 NY, that smoking is not permitted on parks property including the tennis center.”
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Sabalenka Laughs It Off
Sabalenka later joked in her postmatch news conference that fans might be trying to slow things down.
“Maybe it’s too fast so they want to slow down a little bit, so who knows,” she said. “I don’t know the effect from it.”
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