Tennis professionals voice concerns over cannabis smell at US Open 2026
British number one Katie Boulter has added her voice to a growing chorus of tennis professionals frustrated by the persistent odour of cannabis wafting onto outside courts at the US Open 2026 in New York, reports BritPanorama.
As the main draw commenced on Sunday, the world number 60 expressed that the smell was a genuine distraction during competitive play. Fellow Britons Fran Jones and Harriet Dart also contributed to the discussion, highlighting their experiences.
The source of the problem appears to be Corona Park, which is adjacent to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows. With cannabis now legal in New York State for adults aged 21 and over, tournament organisers are faced with limited options to address this recurring grievance.
Court 17, located closest to the park, has been specifically noted as being particularly affected. Boulter, set to face American wildcard Carol Young Suh Lee in her opening match, remarked that the smell was especially noticeable around the practice and park courts.
“I’m not a huge fan of it,” she told reporters. “I know a lot of players have complained on some of the specific courts. I’ve played on one before and I did smell it during my match. It’s something that I wouldn’t like to smell in the middle of my match.”
The Kent-born player emphatically addressed the impact on her concentration: “I’m trying to focus and then obviously, it takes you out of the moment. You really don’t want to. You don’t need distractions. So yeah, I wasn’t a huge fan of it.”
Jones, who is set to compete against Poland’s Magda Linette in her first round, recounted a memorable exchange with a tournament official during last year’s event. “Last year I made a joke about that in my first round, and I said to the guy, ‘Is this normal?'” she shared. “Because I was in the stadium, and it’s next to the park. He’s like, ‘Yeah.’ And I was like: ‘Well, no wonder I’m playing pretty well.'”
This time, she indicated she would adopt a more disciplined approach, stating, “This year I’ll be like ‘no, lock in, lock in!'” Dart, who made it into the main draw after defeating compatriot Heather Watson, offered a more philosophical view on the situation. “I mean it’s New York. It’s New York. I feel like everywhere you walk around, it’s everywhere, no? It is what it is. Same for everyone,” she noted.
The USTA acknowledged the ongoing concern but underscored the constraints of its authority. “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,” the organisation stated.
The issue has persisted at Flushing Meadows for some time. Notably, Norway’s Casper Ruud labelled the smell the “worst thing” about competing in New York during the previous year’s tournament. In 2023, Germany’s Alexander Zverev famously described Court 17 as “Snoop Dogg’s living room,” while Greece’s Maria Sakkari raised similar complaints during the same event.
Australian Nick Kyrgios had flagged the problem as early as 2022, highlighting that spectator smoking had aggravated his asthma during matches. Tournament officials investigated then but traced the odour back to the neighbouring park rather than any event attendees.
As the tournament unfolds, it remains to be seen how organisers will respond to these concerns, which underscore the complexities of operating a global sporting event in an urban environment where local law interacts intricately with the professional demands of the game. Amid the racket of the courts, the lingering scent poses a unique challenge for players and officials alike.
