Organizers of the US Open, one of tennis’ four major tournaments, are struggling with the smell of cannabis. The US Open, the last of the major tournaments each year, is where the best tennis players compete. But this year’s event has been plagued by complaints from players about smelling cannabis during play, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday. The epicenter is Court 17, located at the southwest end of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where the tournament is held. World No. 8 Maria Sakkari (Greece), who was eliminated in the first round of the women’s singles on the first day, drew attention for complaining to the umpire that she smelled cannabis during her match .At first, it was dismissed as an “excuse” by Sakkari, who had suffered her third consecutive first-round exit at a major. However, other players who played on the court also pointed out that they smelled cannabis. Alensander Zverev (GER), who won his first round men’s singles match on the second day of the tournament, said, “I smell cannabis all over the court, everywhere. Court 17 is definitely Snoop Dogg’s (American hip-hop musician) living room,” he said tongue-in-cheek. The United States Tennis Association (USTA), which organizes the tournament, investigated. They pored over the video footage from Court 17. They found no evidence that anyone in the stands was smoking weed. The USTA tentatively concluded that the smoke appeared to be drifting in from the park outside the stadium. Court 17 is adjacent to Corona Park, with little buffer between them. From the park, odors of food, cigarette smoke, and sometimes even cannabis smoke drift into the stadium, according to the USTA. This year’s Wimbledon women’s singles champion, Marquetta Bondrowsova, offered the same “analysis” after her victory over Hannah Rae (Bucheon City Hall).”I smelled a lot today, too, but I think it was only on Court 17,” she said, “Court 17 is far away (from the center of the National Tennis Center) and is almost in Corona Park. The smell seems to be coming from the park. “New York State legalized recreational cannabis sales in March 2021.In New York, adults 21 and older can possess up to 3 ounces of cannabis and 24 grams of cannabis concentrates for personal use and can smoke hemp where smoking is allowed, according to the AP. Ricardo Rojas, a security guard at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, said, “The smell of cannabis is now a part of New York. You have to get used to it,” he said, joking that “players should try it, it helps them 토토사이트 relax.”