Israel crowd gives Russians a hard time
At 75 decibels it is louder than a power drill, and opponents have occasionally been forced to complain about Maria Sharapova’s grunting, but so far in her career spectators have appeared to accept that it is an inevitable part of her game. Until now.
The Russian was in the process of levelling scores at 1-1 lead in their Fed Cup tie against Israel on Saturday with a 6-0 6-4 victory over Tzipi Obziler when the already boisterous crowd decided to fight back, imitating Sharapova’s grunts each time she hit the ball. Although they were eventually told to keep quiet by the umpire, Sharapova professed herself to be comfortable with it.
“I don’t mind it,” she said. “It brings out the best in me. I love the atmosphere, the crowd and their craziness. It is what we live for. I got really anxious and excited as I was close to finishing my first Fed Cup match.” Independent
Anna Chakvetadze was also booed by the crowd several times.
