I could soar: Aryna Sabalenka jokes after smell of weed halts US Open match

A tennis match isn’t always stopped because of the strong smell of weed, but Aryna Sabalenka saw the funny side of things at the US Open. However, the world number one urged fans not to smoke near the tennis court, joking that she could get high while doing so.

Sabalenka advanced to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows after her hard-fought win over Kamilla Rakhim. However, the match caught the attention of everyone around the world after it was stopped midway through the first set. Sabalenka complained to the presiding referee that someone in the crowd was smoking weed.

US OPEN: FULL NEWS

Sabalenkova was at her most jovial in the press conference, and a reporter asked her how well she was doing playing at the US Open. The Belarusian joked that she only hears things about weed at the moment, prompting laughter in the press room.

“High? Level? All I can hear now is weed. If they keep smoking, I might get in,” Sabalenka said.

This led to more questions about the smell of grass inside the court, which Sabalenka was able to answer with a laugh. The world number one felt the smell could have been strong due to the windy conditions, but asked fans to be a little more aware of things.

“That strong? Yeah. Also because it was a little bit windy. I don’t know if it was coming from the crowd or from outside because the wind was blowing it into the stadium. I just hope they’re a little more aware of it,” Sabalenka said.

Aryna Sabalenkova spoke to the press about someone smoking weed during her match at the US Open

“How high level are you here compared to the other majors?”

Aryna: “High? Level? All I hear now is weed. If they keep smoking, I might get possessed.” pic.twitter.com/CZ1R2CbgaG— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 4, 2026

“DO NOT DO IT AROUND THE TENNIS COURTS”

Sabalenka went on to say that it’s fine for fans to have a good time, but urged them not to do so when the players are competing on the tennis court.

“I was like, guys, you can do anything. You can smoke, anything. You can relax as much as you can. But please don’t do it on the tennis courts. It’s a little tricky to handle the smell when you’re trying to compete at your best,” Sabalenka said.

Sabalenka’s experience once again pointed to the behavior of spectators at the US Open. Increasingly, players are dealing with crowd disturbances, loud reactions, distractions and a lack of basic court etiquette are constant concerns during the tournament.

Naomi Osaka recently had her match interrupted when influencers started loudly recording a reel on Instagram. Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula also highlighted the difficulties players can face when spectators are too disruptive during matches.

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Published on:

05 Sep 2026 01:52 IST