What was that all about? A very special scent is wafting across the tennis courts at the US Open on Tuesday. A German takes it with humour
All those who were passing the time by visiting the US Open on Tuesday or even working there probably smelled it. Like Alexander Zverev, who was doing his job as a tennis player and was asked about the particularly spicy scent that hung over the tennis complex at Flushing Meadows after his win over Australia’s Aleksandar Vukovic (6-4, 6-4, 6-4).
“Oh my God, it’s literally everywhere. The whole court smells like weed,” Zverev said with a laugh in English. “Weed”, that means something like marijuana. And Germany’s tennis number one had another jargon term ready: “The weed smells very good,” the 26-year-old added in German.
The Hamburg native played his first-round match on the fourth-largest court, the 2,800-capacity Court 17, and joked afterwards: “Court 17 definitely smells like Snoop Dogg’s living room.” Obviously, Zverev is not only familiar with drugs, but also with popular culture. After all, the two are inseparable in a way.
Smoking is strictly forbidden on the course
The US rapper Snoop Dogg is one of the best-known advocates of a liberal drug policy and an avid consumer of joints, i.e. marijuana cigarettes. In New York, Snoop Dogg would have a field day, because the cultivation and consumption of marijuana is legal in the city, as it is in other US states, including Snoop Dogg’s home state of California.
So it’s not uncommon to smell marijuana in New York. The spicy smell is also considered the “unofficial scent of the city”. Where the smell came from could not be answered at first.
After her defeat in the first round, Maria Sakkari from Greece suspected that the smell came from Corona Park, which is located next to the National Tennis Centre. The 2021 semi-finalist felt it disturbed her. “That smell, oh my God. I think it’s coming from the park.” But she insisted it had not “affected my game. “
The American Tennis Association immediately launched an investigation into the incident, including the viewing of video footage. However, no visitor could be found on the court who might have smoked a joint and thus violated the rules. Smoking is prohibited on the entire tennis facility.
