British number one Katie Boulter has added her voice to a growing chorus of tennis professionals frustrated by the persistent odour of cannabis wafting onto outside courts at the US Open 2026 in New York.
As the main draw got under way on Sunday, the world number 60 described the smell as a genuine distraction during competitive play, with fellow Britons Fran Jones and Harriet Dart also weighing in on the matter.
The source of the problem appears to be Corona Park, which sits adjacent to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows.
Cannabis is legal in New York State for adults aged 21 and over, leaving tournament organisers with limited options to address the recurring grievance.
Court 17, nearest to the park, has been singled out as particularly affected.
Boulter, who is set to face American wildcard Carol Young Suh Lee in her opening match, said the smell was especially noticeable around the practice and park courts.
"I'm not a huge fan of it," she told reporters. "I know a lot of players have complained on some of the specific courts. I've played on one 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."
The Kent-born player was unequivocal about the impact on her concentration.
"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. So yeah, I wasn't a huge fan of it," she added.
Jones, who faces Poland's Magda Linette in her opening round, recalled a memorable exchange with a tournament official during last year's edition.
"Last year I made a joke about that, in my first round, and I said to the guy, 'Is this normal?'" she recounted. "Because I was in the stadium, and it's next to the park. He's like, 'Yeah.' And I was like: 'Well, no wonder I'm playing pretty well.'"
Her attitude this time round, she suggested, would be rather more disciplined. "This year I'll be like 'no, lock in, lock in!'"
Dart, who secured her place in the main draw by defeating compatriot Heather Watson in qualifying, took a decidedly more philosophical view.
"I mean it's New York. It's New York. I feel like everywhere you walk around, it's everywhere, no? It is what it is. Same for everyone," she said.
The USTA acknowledged the ongoing concern but stressed the limits of its authority. "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," the organisation said in a statement.
The issue is far from novel at Flushing Meadows. Norway's Casper Ruud branded the smell the "worst thing" about competing in New York during last year's tournament.
In 2023, Germany's Alexander Zverev memorably likened Court 17 to "Snoop Dogg's living room," whilst Greece's Maria Sakkari raised similar objections that same year.
Australian Nick Kyrgios flagged the problem as early as 2022, noting that spectator smoking had aggravated his asthma during points. Tournament officials investigated at the time but traced the odour to the neighbouring park rather than anyone inside the venue.
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