He expected anything but that. “It smells strong there, doesn’t it? Gaël Monfils, in the process of eliminating Japanese Taro Daniel in the first round of the US Open, pointed out to the chair umpire the strong smell of grass tickling his nostrils onto the court. “Crazy! “, he continues to the attention of the public, hilarious, joining the action to the word. The Frenchman is not the first to complain about the smell of cannabis on certain courts of the New York tournament. It has almost become a habit. A little earlier in the day, the German Alexander Zverev had also set foot in the dish: “It’s like being in Snoop Dogg’s living room”, in reference to the rapper known for his immoderate taste for everything that smokes .
What do these two matches have in common? They took place on the same court, number 17, located at the very end of the huge tournament area, in the Flushing district, north of Queens. Just behind the enclosure is a park open to all, the Corona Park, where smokers would meet. For nearly three years, smoking weed has been legal in New York State, as in about 20 other states across the country, for adults over the age of 21. They can thus possess up to 24 grams of cannabis for their personal use. But can only smoke in places where tobacco is allowed. In parks, it is normally forbidden…
The US Open conducted the investigation
The USTA (United States Tennis Association), the organizer of the tournament, conducted its own investigation, pushed by several athletes. The videos of the bleachers were peeled, and no one would have been caught in the act of “smoking”. Smoking in all its forms, even tobacco, is prohibited inside the US Open. A member of the US Open security meanwhile ventured into the park before coming back all things.
New York is one of the most liberal cities on the subject. The megalopolis is even experimenting with places to sell marijuana, issuing licenses to handpicked sellers. This “weed” sold is grown locally and tested in the laboratory. This marketing could represent more than 1 billion dollars in turnover this year and four times more in four years…
Behind its image of an ultramodern megalopolis, New York remains this somewhat messy city, where chaos seems perfectly organized. The US Open is a good example. “Sometimes you smell food there, sometimes cigarettes, sometimes grass: it’s an open space, you can’t control it,” said Greek player Maria Sákkari.
Last year, the Australian Nick Kyrgios had placed the debate on another ground: that of health. “People don’t know I have asthma,” he complained after one of his matches. When I’m running from side to side and I’m already struggling to breathe, surely it’s not the best thing to inhale between the points. “The player was also angry during the meeting. “Don’t you want to remind them that smoking is forbidden?” “, he had apostrophized the referee, who had felt obliged to remind the attention of the public: “Ladies and gentlemen, out of respect for the players, do not smoke around the courts please”.
Yesterday, police patrols nonchalantly ventured into the park. A consequence of the controversy? The consumption of grass being prohibited there, they will be able to ask smokers to leave the premises… and to leave the nostrils of the players alone.
2023-08-31 07:22:00
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