Aryna Sabalenka complains about the smell of marijuana during her US Open match

“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,” a ​smiling Sabalenka said. “It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best.”

The odour of ​cannabis has become a familiar — if unwelcome — feature at Flushing Meadows, with players complaining about the distraction in the past.

While smoking is not permitted inside the grounds, recreational cannabis is legal for adults over 21 in New York and smoke from people in the surrounding Flushing ​Meadows-Corona Park can drift into the tennis complex and on to the courts.