US Open star makes complaint about bizarre issue at tournament as statement issued
British tennis star Katie Boulter has complained about a bizarre thing that distracted her while on court at the US Open – and it won’t be what you expect.
The 2026 US Open singles competition begins on Sunday (August 30), with Carlos Alcaraz set to return to action in his first individual event since sustaining a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open in April.
ATP world No. 1 Jannik Sinner has confirmed he will sit out due to a knee injury, while Novak Djokovic aims to win his 25th major.
Rising star Alex Eala will no doubt bring a huge fan base with her to New York, while Aryna Sabalenka looks to return to winning ways.
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And just one day before the action gets underway, organisers have received a complaint from Boulter, who claims the smell of cannabis – which is legal for adults aged 21 or over in New York – is distracting.
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The British No. 1 explained how the smell sometimes “takes you out of the moment” during practice or matches.
“Yeah, I have experienced it," she said.
“You go down to the practice courts and down in the park courts, you do smell it a lot.
“I mean, it’s not great. We’ll find out how the practice goes. If it goes well or not, I don’t know. We’ll see.
“But I’m not a huge fan of it. I know a lot of players have complained on some of the specific courts.
“I played on the court in the corner over there. 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.
“You don’t need distractions. So, yeah, I wasn’t a huge fan of it.”
Boulter faces American wild card Carol Young Suh Lee in the first round.
And this is not the first time a player has raised the issue. In 2022, Nick Kyrgios complained that a fan smoking near the court had triggered his asthma, prompting the umpire to ask the supporter to stop smoking.
Boulter’s fellow Brits Fran Jones and Harriet Dart have also spoken on the issue, with the former saying: “Last year I made a joke about that, in my first round, and I said to the guy, ‘Is this normal?’
“Because I was on the stadium, and it’s next to the park. He’s like, ‘Yeah.’ And I was like, ‘Well, no wonder I’m playing pretty well.’
“This year I’ll be like, ‘No, lock in, lock in!’”
The United States Tennis Association issued the following statement on the issue: “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.”
Luke Davies