Tennis star Nick Kyrgios blames cannabis smell at US Open

Nick Kyrgios tasted victory in his second-round match at the US Open on Wednesday, catching a whiff of marijuana.

Kyrgios, the 23rd-seeded Australian, outlived the unranked Benjamin Bonzi in four sets to advance in the final tennis grand slam of the year, held annually in New York City.

But Kyrgios was apparently not only put to the test by his French opponent. As the two players switched sides in the second set, Kyrgios asked the chair umpire to admonish the crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

“You don’t want to remind anyone not to do it or something?” Kyrgios told the referee as quoted by the Associated Press.

CNN reported that the referee “reminded fans not to smoke on the pitch as play got back underway.” The smell seemed to waft from the concessions in the stadium’s concourse.

“People don’t know that I’m a severe asthmatic. So if I’m running back and forth and already struggling to breathe, it’s probably not something I want to breathe between points,” Kyrgios said in a post-game interview, as quoted by CNN.

Recreational cannabis has been legal in upstate New York for more than a year, and public use has become ubiquitous across NYC.

Under the new law, smoking marijuana is legal anywhere cigarette smoking is legal. That doesn’t apply to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open, which is a strict “smoke-free environment.”

Regulators in New York have attempted to curb public smoking by creating other smoke-free havens. In July, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation banning “smoking on all state beaches, boardwalks, marinas, playgrounds, recreation centers and group camps.” And yes, that includes both cigarettes and weed.

“Smoking is a dangerous habit that affects not only the smoker but everyone around them, including families and children who enjoy our state’s great public places,” Hochul said in a statement. “I’m proud to be signing this law, which protects the health of New Yorkers and helps reduce litter in public parks and beaches across the state.”

But since New York is New York, those limits will continue to be tested. And there are far more distractions at the US Open than at other, quieter tennis competitions.

As the Associated Press noted in its match report, “The noise of New York is a challenge for many players and Kyrgios had to contend not only with fan chatter but also with the rumble of trains coming from outside the open field.” hear is. air stadium.”

“As someone who’s had trouble concentrating throughout my career, I’m really trying to put my head down and play point by point, trying to dig my way out of certain situations. It’s hard because there are a lot of distractions,” Kyrgios said, as quoted by the Associated Press.

“Of course there are also a lot of heckling. people say things. I have to be very careful with what I say these days,” he added.

A spirited personality known for outbursts on the field, Kyrgios didn’t seem to get much of a contact high from the surrounding cannabis.

According to the Associated Press, he “was his usual animated self throughout the game, engaging in conversations with himself and the people in the seats,” and once received “a warning about using profanity when the target of his anger was someone in his box.” who Kyrgios didn’t feel was supportive enough.”

It was hardly the first time Kyrgios had objected to the crowd’s behavior. During the Wimbledon final in July, he complained to the referee about a woman present, saying it “looks like she’s had about 700 drinks”.

This woman took legal action against Kyrgios last month, claiming he defamed her.