Court 17, which lies close to the border of the Flushing Meadows Corona Park that surrounds the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, is sunken below ground level, and nicknamed ‘the pit’. A recent, cheekier, moniker, bestowed on the court by the Danish media for the floating smell of marijuana which drifts over from the park, is ‘hash-banen’, or ‘hash court’.
If the Honey Deuce is the US Open’s signature drink, an argument could be made that weed is the tournament’s unofficial signature scent. Long before New York’s legalisation of recreational reefer in 2021, tennis stars who complained about the stench included Martina Hingis, who wondered if someone was ‘smoking some heavy s***’ during her doubles match with partner Flavia Pennetta in 2014. But that was on Grandstand. Court 17, which Alexander Zverev described as ‘Snoop Dogg’s living room’ in 2023, is a different beast altogether.
For British stars stateside, the smell is a challenging wrinkle to grapple with as they fight for their lives on-court.
‘I have experienced it,’ Katie Boulter, who will play American Carol Lee on Sunday, shared. ‘You got down to the practice courts and down in the park courts, you do smell it a lot.
‘I’m not a huge fan of it. I know a lot of players have complained on specific courts. I’ve played on (Court 17) before and I did smell it during my match. It’s something that I wouldn’t like to smell in the middle of my match.’
‘I thought today was really bad,’ said Francesca Jones, who qualified on Friday with a win against Joanna Garland on Court 15. ‘Today was one of the worst.
Katie Boulter is among the British stars to have spoken out about the smell of marijuana around Court 17 at the US Open
Smoking is prohibited within the grounds of the US Open, but with the site nestled in the centre of Corona Park, there is no jurisdiction to stop those over 21 having marijuana next to its courts
Francesca Jones described the smell as ‘really bad’ during her qualifying match on Friday
‘Last year I made a joke about that, in my first round (of qualifiers), and I said to the guy, “is this normal?”.
‘He’s like, “Yeah.” I was like, “Well, no wonder I’m playing pretty well.” This year, I was like, “should I make the same joke?” But no, I was like, “look, lock in, lock in.”’
Smoking of any form is strictly prohibited within the grounds of the US Open, but with the site nestled in the centre of Corona Park, there is no jurisdiction over how private citizens over the age of 21 might enjoy marijuana next to its courts.
While we can’t control what takes place off the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, we continue to be vigilant as we maintain this facility as a smoke-free environment,’ a statement shared by the USTA read.
‘This includes enforcement by our security and guest services teams when they are made aware of any individual that may be smoking, making them aware that although it may be legal in New York, that smoking is not permitted on parks property, including the tennis center.
‘We constantly work with the NYPD and Parks Department, and we believe this has helped to decrease smoking near our fenceline.
The already-atmospheric 2,500-seater bowl of Court 17 is particularly affected by its position close to the park, but practice courts, and many of the outdoor courts to the south of the complex like Court 15 are also subject to the drifting smell.
‘I’m trying to focus and then obviously, it takes you out of the moment and you really don’t want to… You don’t need distractions,’ Boulter explained. ‘So yeah, I wasn’t a huge fan of it.”
But while Boulter joins fellow stars such as Maria Sakkari, Nick Kyrgios and Casper Ruud to publicly take issue with the aroma, Jones was quick to lean into the funny side.
‘Sometimes you know, (it bothers me) – when I’m hallucinating,’ she deadpanned. ‘No, I had a wee giggle to myself, and then I was like, “okay, back to the point.”
The Briton is based in Barcelona, where ‘it’s legal in groups, and you can smell it everywhere.’
And Jones is not alone in leaning into the particular vibe of the Big Apple’s US Open.
‘It’s New York,’ Harriet Dart said after she defeated her compatriot Heather Watson in qualifying to book her match-up against Peyton Stearns. ‘I feel like everywhere you walk around, it’s everywhere, no?
‘It is what it is. Same for everyone.’
