UK Tennis Players Face Marijuana Scent at US Open

The grass is gone. The smell isn’t.

Britain’s US Open contingent have swapped Wimbledon’s manicured lawns for the hard courts of Flushing Meadows, but they are still being reminded of greenery of a very different kind. Walk past the outside courts, especially those backing on to Corona Park, and the sweet, heavy scent of marijuana hangs in the air.

In New York, that’s legal. On site, it’s not. Try telling that to the breeze.

‘You don’t need distractions’

Katie Boulter, the British No 1, has already had to deal with it.

“You go down to the practice courts and down in the park courts, you do smell it a lot,” she said. “I’m not a huge fan of it. 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. 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.”

For players trying to lock in on second serves and break points, the drifting haze is more than a quirky New York detail. It’s another variable in a city that already tests your concentration at every turn.

Fran Jones, the British No 3, met it with humour last year.

“Last year I made a joke about that, in my first round, and I said to the guy: ‘Is this normal?’” she recalled. “Because I was on the stadium, and it’s next to the park. He’s like: ‘Yeah’. And I was: ‘Well, no wonder I’m playing pretty well’.”

This time, the joke can wait.

“This year I’ll be like: ‘No, lock in, lock in!’”

Harriet Dart, who battled through qualifying alongside Jones, shrugged in that very New York way.

“I mean it’s New York. It’s New York,” she said. “I feel like everywhere you walk around, it’s everywhere, no? It is what it is. Same for everyone.”

The USTA, caught between state law and tournament control, made its position clear in a brief statement: “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 message is obvious: they can police the grounds, not the park. The wind will do what it wants.

Fery handed shot at first ATP title

While the smell has been an unwelcome talking point in New York, another Briton was making quieter, more tangible progress in North Carolina.

Arthur Fery is into the first ATP Tour final of his career at the Winston-Salem Open, helped there by misfortune for his opponent but underpinned by his own composure. The 21‑year‑old led James Duckworth 6-4, 1-2 when the Australian retired with an apparent right leg injury.

Fery had already landed the key blow in the opening set, breaking at 4-4 before serving it out. The second set stayed on serve until Duckworth, clearly hampered, called it a day.

It leaves Fery one match from a maiden title and a significant ranking jump. Standing in his way is Ignacio Buse, the rising Peruvian who edged past Benjamin Bonzi 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 in the other semi-final.

Buse, ranked No 36 in the world and seeded 32nd for the upcoming French Open, sits one spot above Fery. On paper, it is tight. On court, it is a chance for the Briton to announce himself properly on the main tour.

From drifting smoke in Queens to a clear shot at silverware in Winston-Salem, Britain’s summer on hard courts is already throwing up contrasts. Fery now has the cleanest storyline of all: win one match, lift a first ATP trophy, and arrive at the next Slam with momentum that no breeze can blow away.