Nick Kyrgios complains of marijuana smell during US Open match originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
On Wednesday evening during his U.S. Open match, Nick Kyrgios complained of what he thought to be a smell of marijuana coming from the stands of the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The Wimbledon runner-up asked chair umpire Jaume Campistol to issue a warning to the crowd about the scent during his second-round victory over Benjamin Bonzi.
“You don't want to remind anyone not to do it or anything?” Kyrgios said on his way to the side during a changeover in the second set.
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The umpire assumed that Kyrgios was complaining about a whiff of food. “Obviously I’m not going to be complaining about food stuff. Obviously not,” Kyrgios added.
After his 7-6 (3), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory, Kyrgios made it clear that he is a “heavy asthmatic.”
“When I'm running side to side, I’m struggling to breathe,” he said. “Probably not something I want to be breathing in in between points.”
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The umpire did go on to issue a warning when the players returned to their respective baselines, saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, a reminder that you cannot smoke on court.”
The bright lights and robust noise of New York City can be a bit much, and it is something that the 27-year-old is aware of as he compared his U.S. Open experience to other majors.
“Yeah, U.S. Open, it’s a very different vibe to everywhere else. I feel like Wimbledon was so proper. Australian Open, you kind of expect it there, being an Aussie. But here, it’s just like noisy. Point in, point out, I can’t barely hear. Half the time I can’t even hear my team because it’s so noisy all the time. … Constant jitter. Things going off, sirens.
“For someone that’s struggled to focus in my career, I’m really trying hard to put my head down and play point by point, try to dig myself out of some certain situations. It's hard because there's a lot of distractions,” Kyrgios said after the match.
“Obviously, a lot of heckling going on as well. People are saying things. I got to be very careful with what I say these days.”
After advancing to the third round of the U.S. Open for the fifth time in his career, Kyrgios will face J.J. Wolf on Friday as he tries to advance to the fourth round for the first time.
