The U.S. Open tennis tournament is played on a hardcourt surface, but the world number eight seed Maria Sakkari was bothered by grass during her first-round matchup against No. 71 Rebeka Masarova.
"It was weed. The smell, oh my gosh. I think it's from the park," Sakkari said in the middle of the match.
Maria Sakkari smells weed during tennis match. pic.twitter.com/JDRvAV8NXc
— MMA Cardinal🥇🥊 (@MmaCardinal) August 28, 2023
Matches of the U.S. Open are held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center stadium complex, within the Flushing Meadows-Corona public park in Queens, New York.
Sakkari added that not all smells come from the psychoactive plant, with odor from food and cigarettes wafting in the surroundings.
"It's something we cannot control, because we're in an open space. There's a park behind. People can do whatever they want," the 28-year-old said.
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Maria Sakkari suffers round 1 upset to Rebeka Masarova
The eight-seed Sakkari sustained a 6-4, 6-4 defeat from world no. 71 Rebeka Masarova, the tournament's first major upset.
Sakkari assured that the smell of marijuana did not affect her performance, saying that she noticed the aroma but did not pay attention as she was focused on winning the match.
The Greece native admitted that she could take a break from the sport to regain her form.
Sakkari was also eliminated in the first rounds of the French Open and Wimbledon this year while exiting in the third round of the 2023 Australian Open.
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