"Not Simona Halep breaking into US Open" - Tennis fans amused by Maria Sakkari smelling marijuana during 1R loss in New York

Maria Sakkari complaining about the scent of marijuana during her first round match at the 2023 US Open has left tennis fans amused.

Spain's Rebeka Masarova caused a major upset when she defeated Sakkari 6-4, 6-4 in the first round in New York in one hour and 27 minutes on Monday.

After her defeat, Maria Sakkari disclosed that she detected the scent of cannabis, adding quickly that it had no impact on her whatsoever. She emphasized that her comment was unrelated to the outcome of the match.

Sakkari mentioned that she had also noticed the smell during practice sessions, but acknowledged that it was beyond her control. She admitted that she did not pay significant attention to the odour as her focus was solely on securing victory in the match.

“It was cannabis. I was not affected by this smell in any way. It was just a comment, it has nothing to do with the match. I smelled it yesterday in practice too, but it's irrelevant. We can't control it, it's a back park & people can do whatever they want. You don't think about it, all you care about is winning the match. I didn't pay much attention," Sakkari said.

Tennis fans took to social media to express their thoughts on the remarks made by Maria Sakkari. One fan morbidly joked that it must have been Simona Halep, alluding to the Romanian's drug-related suspension since October last year.

Halep had tested positive for the prohibited substance Roxadustat during the 2022 US Open.

"Not Simona [Halep] break[ing] into usopen," a fan posted.

Another fan jokingly stated that had it not been for the distracting smell, Maria Sakkari would have undoubtedly won the match.

"The smell distracted her so true maria would’ve won otherwise iktr !!!" the fan posted.

Here are a few more fan reactions:

"I don't know what I'm going to do, I really don't know" - Maria Sakkari considering break from tennis after shock first round exit

Maria Sakkari

Maria Sakkari has revealed that she is contemplating taking a hiatus from tennis following her defeat in the opening round of the 2023 US Open.

Sakkari's defeat against Rebeka Masarova in straight sets on the opening day of the American Slam adds to her ongoing string of disappointing performances on the women's tour, resulting in her fourth loss in the last five matches. The Greek has now been eliminated in the first round of a Grand Slam for the third consecutive time.

Prior to the US Open, she suffered a defeat at the hands of Marta Kostyuk 6-0, 5-7, 2-6 in the first round of Wimbledon and she was outplayed by Karolina Muchova 6-7(5), 5-7 in the first round of the French Open.

Following her defeat, the Greek acknowledged that her two prior losses undeniably played a role in her defeat at Flushing Meadows. Sakkari expressed that perhaps she will consider taking a break, as she is enduring difficulties on the court.

"Definitely the two previous defeats played a role, I was very nervous, I don't know what I'm going to do, I really don't know... Maybe I should take a break, I'm suffering on the pitch. I can't make a decision now, it's hard. I don't have a clear mind," Maria Sakkari said.