Casper Ruud's opening match at Flushing Meadows went without any drama, but the No. 12 seed still had some complaints after he was distracted by the weed odor.
On Monday, the 2022 US Open runner-up kicked off his eighth campaign in New York by routing 140th-ranked Sebastian Ofner 6-1 6-2 7-6 (5) to easily reach the second round. On paper, it was a great day for the Norwegian, who fired nine aces, 21 winners, converted four of his five break point chances, and didn't lose his serve once.
But there was one issue that Ruud had during his US Open opener – he claimed to have felt the weed odor. Four years ago, New York legalized weed, so there isn't anything illegal in smoking it in public places – including Flushing Meadows. And while the former world No. 2 is aware that no one in the stands was doing anything illegal, he made sure to make it clear that he wasn't a fan of that.
Ruud: The weed smell is everywhere… For me, that's the worst thing about 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. It’s quite annoying to be playing, tired, and just meters away, someone is smoking marijuana. We can’t do anything about it unless the law is reversed, but I have strong doubts that will happen," the 26-year-old said.
Ruud may be against spectators smoking weed during US Open matches, but still one of his best Grand Slam runs came in New York, when he made the final in 2022 before losing to Carlos Alcaraz in four sets.
Now, after beating Ofner, the Ruud is set to take on world No. 107 Raphael Collignon, who defeated Daniel Galan in his first-ever match at Flushing Meadows. The Norwegian and Collignon have no previous meetings.
