Why do female tennis players grunt?
Man, I would pay to see Jennifer Capriati tell Monica Seles to “shut the f*** up”!
Why do female tennis players grunt?
Maria Sharapova currently holds tennis’s grunting record with a shriek measured at 101.2 decibels, which is comparable to a police car siren. Despite objections from opponents, tennis fans and officials, she has no plans to change her habit. At press conferences, Sharapova has proudly worn a T-shirt bearing the slogan “I feel pretty when I grunt”. On the strength of her results she should carry on screaming: she was uncharacteristically quiet against Serena Williams in the final of the 2007 Australian Open, and went down accordingly in straight sets. She was also hushed when Justine Henin-Hardenne brought her 19-match winning run to an end in Madrid in November 2007.
A handful of male players have also grunted their way to victory, including Rafael Nadal, Jimmy Connors and Andre Agassi, although the latter once failed to defeat Ivan Lendl in the US Open despite being allowed to go on screaming the court down in the face of his opponent’s protests. But it was only in 1992 that Monica Seles made the first steps towards making grunting an issue for tennis fans. Her 83 decibels – modest by today’s standards – inspired The Sun newspaper to create the “Gruntometer”. During that year’s Wimbledon tournament, Jennifer Capriati is said to have shouted at Seles to “Shut the fuck up!”, while an exasperated Martina Navratilova complained that her opponent sounded “like a stuck pig”. Finally, an umpire asked Seles to contain herself. Suitably warned, she lost in the final to Steffi Graf.
Action from the authorities has since been less conspicuous. When Wimbledon’s chief referee Alan Mills retired in 2005, he complained that officials can only act if the offender is “shown to be making the noises on purpose, which is virtually impossible to do”, and called for a crackdown. But today, thanks to Seles, Sharapova and many others, grunting is so common that it rarely provokes comment, which is odd when spectators are ordered to be quiet so as not to distract the players.
This is unfortunate, since grunting is clearly a form of gamesmanship even if, for Sharapova, it is not something done deliberately. It is rumoured that coaches are teaching players to use grunting as an integral part of their game, whether because it helps to focus aggression – rather like a martial artist breaking a plank – or because it intimidates one’s opponent. Nick Bollettieri, the sport’s most celebrated trainer, disagrees with that: “Never once has that entered into my mind. But I believe releasing your energy is good because if you don’t, it tightens up the body.” The celebrated American varsity coach Bill Maze said that he had never taught grunting to his students, but argues, “It’s certainly strategic sometimes. The grunts seem to get louder when the point is bigger. These players are probably doing whatever they can to get an edge over their opponents.”
The worst offenders insist that it is not a tactic to gain an advantage, but simply an involuntary release at a moment of exertion. However, cricketers and baseball players score sixes and home runs without bellowing, and high jumpers manage to clear the bar without shouting themselves over it. Even in tennis itself, Chris Evert and Billie Jean King played in silence, while Roger Federer, arguably the best player of all time, hits his hardest shots with barely a murmur.
As Martina Navratilova explained at the beginning of the dispute in 1992, there is more to grunting than merely irritating the opposition. The sound made by the strings of a racquet striking the ball gives the skilled player an important clue about the speed and spin of the ball they are about to face. Drowning this sound out with a loud grunt is going to deny that information to your adversary. Even if grunting does help to add power to a smash, it’s important to note that Sharapova shrieks even when she lobs the ball. Independent
Great answer to this question!