\n\n” It\u2019s become a stink at the U.S. Open: a pungent marijuana smell that wafted over an outer court, clouded the concentration of one of the world\u2019s top players and left the impression there\u2019s no place left to escape the unofficial scent of the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the exact source of the smell remained a mystery Tuesday, one thing was clear: Court 17, where eighth-seeded Maria Sakkari complained about an overwhelming whiff of pot during her first-round loss, has become notorious among players in recent years for its distinctive, unmistakable odor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCourt 17 definitely smells like Snoop Dogg\u2019s living room,\u201d said Alexander Zverev, the tournament’s 12th-seeded man who won his opening match on the court Tuesday. \u201cOh my God, it\u2019s everywhere. The whole court smells like weed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stung by stories in the wake of Sakkari\u2019s match Monday that made it appear the U.S. Open’s stands are the sporting equivalent of a Phish concert, the United States Tennis Association conducted its own investigation, of sorts, to weed out the source of the smell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spokesman Chris Widmaier said the USTA questioned officials and reviewed video of the midday match and found \u201cno evidence\u201d anyone was smoking pot in the stands of Court 17, leading to speculation it may have come from Corona Park just outside the gates of the intimate stadium court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And he may not be just blowing smoke. Sakkari herself suggested just that when she complained to the chair umpire while up 4-1 in the first set: \u201cThe smell, oh my gosh. I think it\u2019s from the park.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After her 6-4, 6-4 loss to Rebeka Masarova, Sakkari told reporters: \u201cSometimes you smell food, sometimes you smell cigarettes, sometimes you smell weed. I mean, it\u2019s something we cannot control, because we\u2019re in an open space. There\u2019s a park behind. People can do whatever they want.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Flushing Meadows security staffer Ricardo Rojas, who was working the gate outside Court 17 on Monday, said he took a break in the park around the time of Sakkari\u2019s match and “there was definitely a pot smell going on.\u201d But he noted that while he enforces a strict no-smoking policy inside the USTA\u2019s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the park is \u201coutside my jurisdiction.\u201d”<\/p>\n\n\n\n