‘hash Court’ And High Drama: How Weed Became The Us Open’s New Distraction

The US Open has ever been nan unruliest of tennis’s 4 expansive slam tournaments, a spot wherever nan soundtrack is arsenic overmuch screeching trains, nan roar of aerial postulation overhead and well-lubricated crowds arsenic it is nan thwack of racket connected ball. Frances Tiafoe likes to telephone it “organized chaos”, nan benignant of life-affirming ambiance that he says teases retired his champion performances. For some, it’s nary shape astatine each but a blur of bass-heavy changeovers, revolving-door personage cameos and nan ceaseless rattle of nan adjacent No 7 subway.

In caller years, though, 1 distraction has trim done moreover nan normalized bedlam that gives nan tourney its character. Alongside nan chromatic deuce cocktails and free-flowing Heineken, a different vice has threaded itself into nan fortnight: nan pungent and unmistakable odor of marijuana. It drifts crossed nan Billie Jean King National Tennis Center pinch capable wave that players person begun treating it arsenic not a bug but a characteristic of nan arena itself.

Casper Ruud, nan 2022 US Open runner-up from Norway, was nan latest to kick during past week’s mixed doubles tourney while paired pinch Iga Świątek. “For me, this is nan worst point astir New York,” he said. “The smell of cannabis. It’s everywhere, moreover present wherever nan tourney is being played. But we person to judge it. I deliberation it’s annoying to beryllium connected nan tribunal while personification smokes a joint. It’s nary nosy for america players to beryllium tired and person to inhale nan smell of hashish astatine nan aforesaid time. We can’t do thing astir it unless nan rule changes, but I uncertainty that will happen.”

The complaints person been large capable that Danish media person moreover dubbed Court 17 hash-banen – nan “hash court” – cheeky shorthand for nan bullring-like show tribunal wherever nan aroma of weed has go astir arsenic overmuch a portion of nan ambiance arsenic nan sound of nan crowd.

The USTA has maintained a strict no-smoking argumentation since astatine slightest 2011, erstwhile New York City politician Mike Bloomberg’s smoking prohibition was expanded to nationalist parks, beaches and pedestrian plazas. Yet since New York legalized recreational cannabis successful 2021, Flushing Meadows has go a microcosm of nan state’s shifting culture.

Within nan grounds, information enforces nan rules (if not aggressively). But return a fewer steps conscionable extracurricular into Corona Park, which abuts nan southbound extremity of nan grounds, and anyone complete 21 tin legally toke up: nether nan 2021 law, adults whitethorn person up to 85 grams of cannabis and fume it anyplace baccy usage is permitted. On Sunday day arsenic nan first time of nan tourney unfolded, smokers fired up prerolls wrong clear position of nan gaggles of constabulary extracurricular nan South Gate. The displacement has been embraced by metropolis leaders. Mayor Eric Adams, a erstwhile NYPD captain, moreover encouraged New Yorkers to “enjoy yourself, ray up, but astir importantly – walk immoderate money.” That permissive stance, coupled pinch a patchy licensing rollout that has allowed hundreds of unregulated storefronts to flourish, has made cannabis consciousness inescapable crossed nan 5 boroughs – and this peculiar expanse of Queens is nary exception.

The smell of weed astatine nan US Open, however, predates legalization. In 2014, Martina Hingis remarked connected it during a doubles lucifer connected nan aged Grandstand court. Since then, a parade of players – Nick Kyrgios, Maria Sakkari, Alexander Zverev – person each voiced frustration. Sakkari’s 2023 first-round nonaccomplishment to Rebeka Masarova became 1 of nan much notorious episodes. Midway done nan lucifer she pleaded pinch nan chair umpire astir nan distraction, later telling reporters: “Sometimes it smells food, sometimes it smells cigarettes, sometimes it smells weed. It’s thing that we cannot power because we’re successful an unfastened space. There’s a parkland behind. People tin do immoderate they want.”

Kyrgios, combustible astatine nan champion of times, was incensed during his second-round triumph complete Benjamin Bonzi successful 2022. He urged nan umpire to punctual spectators not to smoke, complaining nan odor was peculiarly harsh connected his breathing arsenic an asthmatic. “It was fucking marijuana. Obviously, I’m not going to kick astir nutrient smells,” he’d later say. “But astir apt not thing I want to beryllium breathing successful betwixt points.” Afterward he admitted nan distractions of New York – heckling fans, roaring trains, and now marijuana fume – made it harder to enactment locked successful constituent to point.

Marijuana is now a communal smell connected nan streets of New York City. Photograph: Carlo Allegri/Reuters

Zverev was blunter. After a lucifer connected Court 17 2 years ago, nan German likened nan ambiance to “Snoop Dogg’s surviving room”. The intimate, 2,800-seat stadium pinch nary reserved seating, which has go a instrumentality favourite since nan demise of nan aged Grandstand, has besides earned a estimation arsenic nan epicenter of nan smell. Zverev’s appraisal has since taken connected a life of its own. A communicative this week previewing Thursday’s tribunal assignments quipped that Holger Rune had been sent to hash-banen for his second-round match, creating an aura that has proven stickier than your highest-grade kine bud.

Tournament officials person resisted nan proposal that Flushing Meadows has go a stoner’s playground.

“While we can’t power what takes spot disconnected nan grounds of nan USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, we proceed to beryllium vigilant arsenic we support this installation arsenic a fume free environment,” a USTA spokesperson told nan Guardian this week. “This includes enforcement by our information and impermanent services teams erstwhile they are made alert of immoderate individual that whitethorn beryllium smoking, making them alert that though it whitethorn beryllium ineligible successful NY, that smoking is not permitted connected parks spot including nan tennis center. We perpetually activity pinch nan NYPD and Parks Department, and we judge this has helped to alteration immoderate smoking adjacent our fenceline.”

After Sakkari’s comments successful 2023 made headlines, nan USTA reviewed video footage and interviewed staff. “No evidence” was recovered of fans lighting up wrong Court 17, a tourney spokesperson said. Instead, officials suggested, nan fume apt drifted from Corona Park. Players themselves person acknowledged arsenic much. Marketa Vondrousova, nan 2023 Wimbledon champion, said aft her lucifer that aforesaid year: “I smelled it really coming also. You smell it a lot. I deliberation it’s conscionable Court 17. That tribunal is truthful acold away, it’s almost successful nan park. I deliberation it’s coming from nan park.”

From nan organizers’ perspective, thing has changed. It’s not for illustration nan posters of past tournaments which statement nan bowels of Arthur Ashe Stadium person been swapped retired for Bob Marley photomosaics and nan Pink Floyd Back Catalogue. The USTA still sells itself arsenic nan buzziest of nan 4 slams, but emphatically not that benignant of buzz. But it’s not only spectators who are leaning successful to nan relaxed attitudes toward cannabis. One camera operator, who requested anonymity to protect his job, said he now relies connected edibles to get done marathon shifts that sometimes agelong past 16 hours.

Security staffers stationed by nan outer courts person noted nan same. “We can’t constabulary what happens extracurricular successful nan park,” 1 said. “You drawback a whiff connected each corner. Around here, it’s conscionable normal.” For each nan gripes, nan rules are clear: wrong nan gates, smoking of immoderate kind, including weed pens, is banned. Beyond them, nan USTA has nary jurisdiction.

Fans, too, look mostly unfazed. Steven Lewis, waiting successful statement for a Court 17 lucifer connected Monday afternoon, waved disconnected nan complaints. “You tin smell it stepping down nan thoroughfare successful Midtown, sometimes astatine 8 successful nan greeting connected a weekday, and it was nan aforesaid moreover earlier it was legalized,” he said. “It’s conscionable a portion of New York. I don’t spot why nan Open would beryllium immoderate different.”

Indeed, portion of nan intrigue present is cultural. The Open has ever leaned into its personality arsenic tennis’s loudest, slightest buttoned-up major. For players much accustomed to nan hushed lawns of Wimbledon aliases astatine Roland Garros – wherever location is simply a full prohibition connected intoxicant successful nan stands to guarantee a respectful ambiance during play – it tin consciousness for illustration sensory overload. For locals, it’s conscionable nan metropolis successful microcosm.

Legal marijuana is now embedded successful New York life. That reality sits uneasily against nan prim image tennis still projects, but nan contradictions are unavoidable astatine a tourney staged successful nan bosom of Queens. As Ruud lamented, moreover earlier Wednesday’s second-round nonaccomplishment connected Court 17, location whitethorn beryllium small recourse beyond plugging one’s chemoreceptor and focusing connected nan adjacent point. Some players thrive successful it and others recoil. Either way, nan Open keeps rolling.