09/04/26 02:49:00
Printable Page
09/04 14:02 CDT Aryna Sabalenka complains about the smell of marijuana during
her US Open match
Aryna Sabalenka complains about the smell of marijuana during her US Open match
By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- Aryna Sabalenka finally found something that could stop her
at the U.S. Open: the smell of marijuana.
The two-time defending champion complained to the chair umpire that it was
bothering her early in her third-round victory over Kamilla Rakhimova on Friday.
Sabalenka said she had never smelled the odor so strong as she did while
serving early in the match.
"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 of the match in Louis Armstrong
Stadium. She tossed the ball but then let it fall to the court. She did the
same thing on the next point, with something clearly bothering her.
She then approached the chair to ask 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, when asked what she was thinking of the time. "It's a bit
tricky to handle that smell while you're trying to compete at your best."
Other players, such as Nick Kyrgios and Maria Sakkari, have complained in the
past about the smell of marijuana during their matches. There is a park behind
the grounds where the U.S. Open is played, which is often the expected source
of the smell.
No fans were found to be smoking and ejected from the tennis grounds.
"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."
The top-seeded Sabalenka eventually was able to laugh off the topic during her
news conference after the match, including the idea that fans just might be
looking for ways to further enjoy her matches.
"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."
___
See AP's full tennis coverage here
|
