Cannabis Smell at US Open Draws Player Complaints as 2026 Tournament Begins
British number one Katie Boulter says the smell of cannabis drifting onto the courts at the US Open is putting her off her game, reviving a complaint that has surfaced at Flushing Meadows for years.
The 2026 US Open, the final Grand Slam of the tennis season, begins on Sunday at Flushing Meadows in New York. Cannabis is legal for adults aged 21 and over in the state of New York, and while smoking is not permitted on the tournament site, the smell wafts onto the courts from nearby Corona Park (BBC Sport).
Boulter, ranked world number 60, said it is possible to smell cannabis "a lot" on the practice courts and described the smoke drifting from the neighbouring park as "off putting" (The Times). She said the smell distracts her because it takes her out of the moment while she is trying to focus during a match. "But yeah, I'm not a huge fan of it," she added (County Times).
Boulter is preparing to face American wildcard Carol Young Suh Lee in the first round. Two other British players, Fran Jones and Harriet Dart, have also noticed the cannabis smell at this year's tournament. Jones begins her campaign against Poland's Magda Linette on Monday, while Dart beat British compatriot Heather Watson in qualifying — the pre-tournament rounds where lower-ranked players compete for a spot in the main draw — to set up a first-round match against the United States' Peyton Stearns (BBC Sport).
She is far from the first player to raise the issue. Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev have previously complained about the smell of cannabis at the US Open in past years. The area around Court 17 has been dubbed the "hash court" because of the recurring smell there (Daily Mail). Players have even described the cannabis smoke as making them "hallucinate" (The Telegraph).
In 2022, Nick Kyrgios complained that a fan smoking courtside was triggering his asthma, prompting the umpire to ask supporters to refrain. The following year, Maria Sakkari pointed the cannabis smell out to an umpire midway through a set, later clarifying it was not an excuse for her defeat (BBC Sport).
The United States Tennis Association (USTA), which organises the US Open, says it works with local police and the parks department to reduce smoking on the site boundary. The USTA said it cannot control what takes place off the grounds of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center but continues to be vigilant (BBC Sport).
For Boulter and her fellow Britons, the haze is one more thing to manage on the hard courts of New York. The solution, if there is one, may lie beyond the tournament's fences.
