US Open star complained she could smell ‘weed’ on court during first round exit

Maria Sakkari complained that she could smell weed during her first-round exit at the US Open – but refused to use it as an excuse.

The world No.8 lost in straight sets to Swiss-born Spanish star Rebeka Masarova, who is ranked 63 places below her, to provide the first big shock of the tournament.

The 6-4 6-4 defeat came after the 28-year-old told the umpire that a certain smell was coming from a nearby park in New York, which she elaborated on in a post-match press conference.

She said to the umpire during the contest: "Oh my God… I think it's from the park." Then added: "We were practising here yesterday and it was the same."

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Speaking to the press after the game she said: "It wasn't the smell that affected the scoring.

"It was just a comment because it was smelling quite a lot, but it has nothing to do with the match."

She concluded: "Sometimes it smells food, sometimes it smells cigarettes, sometimes it smells weed, it's something we cannot control because we are in an open space.

"There is a park behind, people can do whatever they want."

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When further discussing her loss, Sakkari broke down in tears before suggesting she may take a break from the sport.

The complaint comes a year after Australian star Nick Kyrgios made a similar observation during his win over Benjamin Bonzi.

He said: "People don’t know [it but] 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."

In New York, it is legal for adults aged 21 or over to possess up to three ounces of marijuana and up to 24 grams of concentrated cannabis.

The tournament is held in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which is surrounded by green areas.

The competition runs until September 7, with more than £50million in total prize money and over £2m to the winners in each singles' draw.

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