There is something in the air in the U.S. Open.
There is an array of aromas from the food court and an excitement in the air as the final Grand Slam kicks off for two weeks, ready to crown two new champions.
However, to Casper Ruud, something else sticks out, and he is not a fan of it.
While playing alongside Iga Swiatek during the retooled mixed doubles tournament the Norwegian did not appreciate the smell of cannabis on the courts.
“For me, this is the worst thing about New York,” Ruud told Norwegian media, according to multiple reports. “The smell is everywhere, even here on the courts. We have to accept it, but it’s not my favorite smell.”
“It’s quite annoying to be playing, tired, and just meters away, someone is smoking marijuana, he went on. We can’t do anything about it unless the law is reversed, but I have strong doubts that will happen.”
Ruud and Swiatek made it through to the finals last week before losing to defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori,
The U.S. Open has prohibited smoking at the Billie Jean National Tennis Center for the 145th edition of the tournament, however, New York State passed the law to legalize cannabis for recreational use in 2021.
Ruud isn’t the first to ever bring up the stench at the U.S. Open.
Greek player Maria Sakkari complained of the smell in 2023, arguing to a chair umpire that it had an effect on her concentration during a match against Rebeka Masarova.
She suffered a first-round upset 6-4, 6-4 loss.
“Sometimes it smells food, sometimes it smells cigarettes, sometimes it smells weed” Sakkari said at the time. “It’s something that we cannot control because we’re in an open space. There’s a park behind, people can do whatever they want. It’s nothing that we can control.”
Ruud opens singles play against Sebastian Ofner on Monday night.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
