Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s No. 1 tennis player, literally paused her US Open third-round match on September 4th. This wasn’t for a medical timeout or a bad call; she stopped the game mid-first set against Kamilla Rakhimova because of an overwhelming smell of marijuana wafting across Louis Armstrong Stadium. You read that right, folks. A strong weed smell brought a Grand Slam match to a halt.
“You Can Smoke Whatever, But Not Around The Courts!”
Sabalenka was already leading the first set 2-0 when she had to talk with umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore. “Someone is smoking weed,” Sabalenka told her, “Would you mind … because it’s so strong.” Can you imagine that happening? Mid-serve, you gotta stop because someone’s lighting up too close to the court! After the brief chat with the umpire, the match resumed. And guess what? Sabalenka, focused as ever, went on to win the match 6-3, 6-4. That’s her 16th consecutive win at the US Open, a pretty wild streak, even with the bizarre interruption. After the match, she wasn’t shy about her thoughts. “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 said. “It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best.” She figured the wind might have been carrying it from the crowd or even from outside the stadium, adding, “I just hope they’re gonna be a bit more aware of that stuff.”
Where Did The Cloud Come From?
So, who was the culprit? The official word is that no fan was found smoking, and no one got ejected from the match. The exact source of the smoke remains unclear, but there’s a park right behind the tennis grounds, which is a prime suspect. U.S. Tennis Association spokesman Brendan McIntyre issued a statement, saying, “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.” He clarified that security and guest services enforce this, reminding folks that even if it’s legal in New York, smoking isn’t allowed on parks property, which includes the tennis center. Interestingly, Sabalenka isn’t the first to complain; tennis stars Nick Kyrgios and Maria Sakkari have also griped about the smell in the past. It seems like this isn’t a new problem.
Despite the unexpected pause, Sabalenka pulled off another dominant win. Her next match is set for September 6th against Taylor Townsend at 11 a.m. ET. She’ll be looking to keep that incredible 16-win streak alive, hopefully without any more aromatic distractions. You gotta respect the focus it takes to win out after something like that!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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