“Snoop dogg’s living room” gets bigger at Flushing Meadows as Djokovic adds his voice on marijuana disturbing smell
“You feel it everywhere, from the training courts to when you enter a match… that’s just how it is”, Djokovic stated.
Novak Djokovic, US Open 2025 | © Antoine Couvercelle
The familiar, pungent smell of marijuana has once again become a topic of discussion at the US Open (remember our report two years ago!), with top players including Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud voicing their frustrations over the odor that they say permeates the tournament grounds. The complaints echo previous years, notably a quip by Alexander Zverev that the courts at Flushing Meadows “definitely smell like Snoop Dogg’s living room.”
The issue, which has been a recurring theme since New York legalized recreational cannabis on March 31st, 2021, highlights the unique “atmosphere” of the US Open compared to other Grand Slams.
Following his third-round victory over Cameron Norrie (6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-3) on Friday, Novak Djokovic, a four-time US Open champion, described the smell as a “stench.”
Djokovic : “You feel it more like anywhere else”
“You can definitely feel it, it’s not like you can’t – actually, you feel it more than anywhere else!” Djokovic told reporters. “Some people are more bothered, some less. I’m not a fan of that smell either, actually, stench. But it’s allowed here, and somehow you just have to accept it the way it is. You feel it everywhere, from the training courts to when you enter a match… that’s just how it is.”
His comments were an echo of Norwegian player Casper Ruud, who made his statements to media on Tuesday, following his first-round win. Ruud called the smell “the worst thing” about his annual visit to New York.
“The smell is everywhere, even here on the courts,” Ruud said. “It’s quite annoying to be playing, tired, and just meters away, someone is smoking marijuana. We can’t do anything about it unless the law is reversed, but I have strong doubts that will happen.”
Kyrgios was the first to mention
The complaints recall a similar moment from the 2022 US Open, when Nick Kyrgios brought the issue to the forefront during his second-round match against Benjamin Bonzi. The famously outspoken Australian, who won the match 7-6 (3), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, complained to the chair umpire, stating that the smell was particularly bothersome due to his asthma.
“You don’t want to remind anyone not to do it or anything?” Kyrgios was heard asking the umpire on the live broadcast. In a post-match press conference, he was even more direct: “I’m a heavy asthmatic. When I’m running side to side, I’m struggling to breathe, [so it is] probably not something I want to be breathing in between points.”
The Legal Landscape and Tournament Policy
While the US Open is a smoke-free venue, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is located adjacent to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, a public area where consumption is more loosely regulated.
Under New York State law, adults aged 21 and older can legally possess up to three ounces of cannabis and up to 24 grams of concentrated cannabis for personal use. They are allowed to smoke or vape cannabis in most places where tobacco smoking is permitted, with notable exceptions including public parks, beaches, and sports stadiums.
A spokesperson for the United States Tennis Association (USTA), Chris Widmaier, previously stated in 2023 that while they “can’t control what takes place off the grounds,” they remain “vigilant as we maintain this facility as a smoke free environment.” This stance, however, has not prevented the odor from drifting into the venue, particularly on outer courts like Court 17, which Alexander Zverev once famously joked “definitely smells like Snoop Dogg’s living room.”
Few reasons might lead to a change. On social media, many New Yorkers have adopted a “suck it up” attitude when asked about these reactions, arguing that it’s simply a part of life in the city since legalization.
