As previously reported, Sakari, one of the top eight tennis players in the world, lost the opening match of the Grand Slam tournament for the third time in a row. When she led 4-1 in the first set, the Greek complained about the smell.
The match was followed by a press conference where the loser was asked questions. Among other things, Sakari said that she complained about the smell of “weed” during the match, but this did not affect her game. It just smelled really bad, but nothing could be done. “He also smelled the day before, when I was training,” said the Greek woman. “Sometimes you smell food, and sometimes you smell cigarettes or weed. This is something that is out of our control because we are in a public environment. There is a park right next door. People can do whatever they want.” (In New York, smoking marijuana is legal.)
At the press conference, Sakari also cried after losing.
After Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Maria Sakkari led the first press conference at the American Open. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/UqaghhfXyI
— Murat Tashkolu (@murattaskolu) August 28, 2023
Resources used:
nypost.com
Maria Sakkari 🇬🇷 revealed that she spoke to the judge about the smell of marijuana during her loss in the first round of the US Open:
“This is something that we cannot control because we are in an open space. There is a park behind the house. People can do whatever they want.”#USOpen pic.twitter.com/75eViq0w7s
— TennisONE App (@TennisONEApp) August 28, 2023