Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A tennis match isn’t always stopped because of the overpowering smell of weed, but Aryna Sabalenka saw the funny side of things at the US Open. However, the World No.1 urged fans not to smoke near the tennis court, joking that she may get high in the process.
Sabalenka progressed to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows after her hard-fought win over Kamilla Rakhimova. However, the match caught the attention of everyone around the globe after it was stopped midway through the first set. Sabalenka complained to the chair umpire about someone smoking weed in the crowd.
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Sabalenka was at her jovial best at the press conference and a reporter asked her about how much of a high she gets playing at the US Open. The Belarussian joked saying, that she can only hear stuff about weed at the moment, leading to laughs in the press room.
“High? The level? Now I can only hear weed stuff. If they’re gonna keep smoking I might get high,” said Sabalenka.
This led to more questions about the smell of weed inside the court, which Sabalenka was able to answer while laughing. The World No.1 felt the smell might have been strong due to the windy conditions but asked the fans to be a bit more aware about things.
“That strong? Yeah. Also because it was a bit windy. I don’t know if it was coming from the crowd or the outside because wind blows it into the stadium. I just hope they’re gonna be a bit more aware of that stuff,” said Sabalenka.
‘DON’T DO IT AROUND TENNIS COURTS’
Sabalenka went on to say that she is ok with fans having a good time but urged them not to do it while players are competing on a tennis court.
“I was like, guys you can do whatever. You can smoke, whatever. You can relax as much as you can. But please don’t do it around the tennis courts. It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best,” said Sabalenka.
Sabalenka’s experience has once again put the spotlight on spectator conduct at the US Open. Players have increasingly found themselves dealing with interruptions from the crowd, with loud reactions, distractions and a lack of basic court etiquette becoming recurring concerns during the tournament.
Naomi Osaka recently had her match disrupted when influencers began loudly recording an Instagram reel. Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula have also highlighted the difficulties players can face when spectators become too disruptive during matches.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
