Tamara Korpatsch criticizes the smell of marijuana at US Open training grounds

Tamara Korpatsch stinks at the US Open. On some training grounds, the smell of marijuana makes the number one German tennis player uneasy. "I have asthma. When I smell it, I can no longer breathe in and I can't breathe," said the 31-year-old about her experiences shortly before the start of the tournament.

Korpatsch joked that she was “a little high” after training. But she added seriously: “I no longer want to train on the pitches in the park shortly before the match.” This problem does not exist directly on the site of the last Grand Slam tournament of the year. However, not all professionals can always find space there, so they have to switch to the courts in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. But she still loves New York as a city, emphasized Korpatsch.

Zverev also had experience with the smell of marijuana

Marijuana has been sold legally for recreational purposes in the US metropolis since the end of 2022 - consumption around the facility has repeatedly caused a stir in the past. "Oh my God, it's literally everywhere, the whole place smells of weed," Alexander Zverev reported after a match three years ago. “Court 17 smells like Snoop Dogg’s living room.”

During her career, Korpatsch also had problems with the smell of marijuana in a match. In Cleveland in 2023 she had to briefly interrupt the duel with the Russian Mirra Andrejewa. “Then we waited a minute or two until the smell went away,” she recalled.

Korpatsch as German number one at the US Open

In terms of sport, things are going well for the experienced Hamburger this season. She won her second WTA title in her hometown just over a month ago and climbed into the top 50 in the world rankings for the first time. In 47th place, she is currently the best-placed German player, well ahead of Tatjana Maria in 79th place. At the US Open, Korpatsch will face the 18-year-old Austrian top talent Lilli Tagger in the first round.