Marijuana Odor Bothers Maria Sakkari During Her Loss in the US Open’s First Round

Maria Sakkari, of Greece, returns a shot to Rebeka Masarova, of Spain, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships in New York on Aug. 28, 2023. Charles Krupa/AP Photo

NEW YORK—Even while she was rolling on the court, Maria Sakkari was bothered by the smell of something off it.

“It was weed,” Sakkari said.

The No. 8 seed from Greece was eliminated from the U.S. Open in the first round Monday with a 6–4, 6–4 loss to Rebeka Masarova, a match she seemed in control of until she mentioned the smell toward the chair umpire during a changeover.

Sakkari was leading 4–1 in the first set on Court 17 at that point.

“The smell, oh my gosh,” Sakkari said. “I think it’s from the park.”

Sakkari, a semifinalist at the U.S. Open two years ago, said the smell of marijuana didn’t affect her while playing. She had practiced on the same court Sunday and already had noticed it then.

“You don’t really think about it, because all you care is just to win the match,” Sakkari said. “I smelled it, but that was it. Like, it wasn’t something that I paid attention to.”

Rebeka Masarova of Spain (R) shakes hands with Maria Sakkari of Greece after winning their first round match during the U.S. Open tennis championships in New York on Aug. 28, 2023. Charles Krupa/AP Photo

Nick Kyrgios complained about smelling marijuana during a match last year, saying afterward he is asthmatic and the smell probably wasn’t good for him when he was running around.

But Sakkari said it didn’t cause any problems while competing in what became her third straight first-round exit in a Grand Slam tournament.

“Sometimes you smell food, sometimes you smell cigarettes, sometimes you smell weed,” Sakkari said. “I mean, it’s something we cannot control, because we’re in an open space. There’s a park behind. People can do whatever they want.”