'You feel it more than anywhere else': Novak Djokovic joins Casper Ruud in marijuana complaint at US Open

Novak Djokovic spoke about the smell of marijuana at the US Open, adding to comments from his colleague Casper Ruud, who a few days earlier expressed his displeasure with the constant odor in New York and on the grounds of Flushing Meadows. The 24-time Grand Slam champion secured his second consecutive victory at the US Open on Wednesday, advancing to the third round.

Nole—currently world No. 7—has now matched his 2024 campaign, where he suffered a surprising defeat in the third round against Alexei Popyrin. This time, he has overcome two challenges against local stars, Learner Tien and Zachary Svajda, reaching the third round of the tournament where he will face British star Cameron Norrie for the third time this season.

The 38-year-old star is still chasing another Grand Slam title to extend his record as the all-time major champion. He fell in the semifinals in his three attempts this year at the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon, and he hopes to have another opportunity at Flushing Meadows. So far, things have looked good for the Serb.

After another victory in the tournament, Djokovic faced the media in his press conference, and one of the topics he touched on was the smell of marijuana that is often present at Flushing Meadows. Just a couple of days earlier, Casper Ruud confessed to Norwegian media that this is the aspect he dislikes most when he competes in New York.

Ruud resigned to marijuana issue in New York

Casper Ruud has already ended his US Open participation this year. Last week, he competed in mixed doubles, teaming up with Iga Swiatek and reaching the final—which was just a warm-up for his main objective, the singles draw. However, he was surprised in the second round by Belgian Raphael Collignon in five sets, suffering an early defeat to an opponent who, until this US Open, had no prior main draw victories in a Grand Slam.

Shortly before being eliminated from the tournament, Ruud spoke about the aspect he dislikes most about his time in New York. "For me, this is the worst thing about New York. The smell is everywhere, even here on the courts. We have to accept it, but it’s not my favorite smell,” Ruud told Norwegian press. “It’s quite annoying to be playing, tired, and just meters away, someone is smoking marijuana,” he went on. “We can’t do anything about it unless the law is reversed, but I have strong doubts that will happen.”

Djokovic joins chorus on marijuana complaints

This time, it was Djokovic who commented on the smell of marijuana that bothers his colleague. He agreed with Ruud that it is one of the aspects that characterize his visits to New York. "You can definitely feel it, it’s not like you can’t — actually, you feel it more than anywhere else” he said. “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 practice to the match… That’s just how it is.”

For now, Djokovic has had no major issues getting through the first two rounds of the tournament, defeating two young local stars. The Serb debuted against 19-year-old Learner Tien, surpassing him without a hitch 6-1, 7-6, 6-2. In the second round, he had to work a bit harder against Zachary Svajda, who took a tight first set. Still, it wasn't enough to give Nole a major scare. Djokovic secured the victory 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 and advanced to the US Open third round.

The Serb's next challenge will be against Britain's Cameron Norrie, an opponent the Serb knows well. Djokovic has defeated him in all six of their previous encounters—two of which were this year on the clay courts of the Geneva Open (semifinals) and Roland Garros (fourth round). The Brit continues to show his great consistency from recent months and will be looking to make a statement against the former world No. 1.