"It's annoying" - Casper Ruud makes frustration clear with disturbing weed smell taking over US Open courts

Casper Ruud has expressed his frustration on the smell of weed that is is reportedly present on and off the court at the US Open.

Since legalising the possession of Cannabis and its products by those 21 and above in 2021, New York has gained a reputation for smelling like weed smoke, and Flushing Meadows is no exception. Even though the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is a smoke-free facility, the Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which is a public park, has no restriction on people smoking weed.

Hence, whenever the wind blows over, the smell also tends to travel inside the stadiums, posing a problem for many players.

Ruud joined a list of players, including Maria Sakkari, Nick Kyrgios and Jelena Ostapenko, to speak up against the smell that causes hindrance during matches. In an interview with Norwegian media outlet NRK TV, the 2025 Madrid Open champion said:

"That's the biggest downside of New York, that the smell is everywhere. Even here at the facility. You just have to accept it, but it's not your favorite smell. I think it's annoying if you're on the field and someone smokes a joint. It's not fun for the players to be tired and at the same time have to inhale the smell of hash. We can't do anything about it unless the law is changed back, but I doubt that will happen."

Casper Ruud has been drawn to face Sebastian Ofner in his first-round match at the US Open on Monday, August 25.

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Alexander Zverev and Taylor Townsend's witty remarks on weed smell at the US Open

Alexander Zverev made a witty remark on the notorious smell that was reportedly present on Court 17 during the 2023 US Open. The German, who was seeded 12th that year, had a match scheduled on the court on August 29. In the aftermath of that, he said to the media:

"Court 17 definitely smells like Snoop Dogg's living room. Oh my God, it's everywhere. The whole court smells like weed."

In addition to this remark, Taylor Townsend, who played her second-round match that day on the court, added various wordplays during her post-match press conference to add to the discussion.

"No, Court 17 was lit. Oh, my gosh. Cut that one, too," she said jokingly.

Authorities, however, concluded that there was no evidence of smoking by the attendees during the matches.