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Grunting in tennis

January 01, 1970

Grunting in tennis is a loud noise made by some players while hitting their shots.[1] Such noises have sometimes been described as "shrieking"[2][3] or "screaming".[4]

Monica Seles, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe are generally considered to be the "grunt creators" in the women's and men's games, respectively.[5][6][7] Examples of contemporary tennis players who grunt are Serena Williams, Venus Williams,[8] Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka,[9][10] Aryna Sabalenka,[11] Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Dominic Thiem, David Ferrer,[12][13] and Gustavo Kuerten.[14] However, some players such as Djokovic have reduced their grunting habits as their career has progressed, although hindrance from Djokovic's grunting earned Jannik Sinner, his opponent, a point in the semifinals of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles.[15][16]

Overview and punishment edit

In the 1988 US Open, Ivan Lendl complained about Andre Agassi's grunting: "When Agassi went for a big shot, his grunt was much louder. It threw off my timing".[8] In the 2009 French Open, Aravane Rezaï complained to the umpire about Michelle Larcher de Brito's "shrieking", which led to a Grand Slam supervisor being brought to the court. No action was taken against Larcher de Brito and she was booed off the court.[8] Afterwards former tennis player Martina Navratilova said that grunting was a form of cheating: "The grunting has reached an unacceptable level. It is cheating, pure and simple. It is time for something to be done". She also cited Roger Federer as an example of a successful player who does not grunt: "Roger Federer doesn't make a noise when he hits the ball—go and listen". The concern was not limited to mere distraction or unpleasantness. In particular, Navratilova was concerned that grunting drowned out the sound of the ball leaving the grunter's racquet and prevented an experienced opponent from using that clue as to force and spin to address his or her reception of the ball and the return stroke.[17] Another former player, Chris Evert, stopped short of labelling it as cheating but said: "I wouldn't go that far [to say it's cheating] but I think the grunts are getting louder and more shrill now with the current players".[10]

Some tennis players have defended grunting. Michelle Larcher de Brito, who had a reported decibel reading of 109, said: "If people don't like my grunting, they can always leave".[6] In a different interview she said: "Nobody can tell me to stop grunting. Tennis is an individual sport and I'm an individual player. If they have to fine me, go ahead, because I'd rather get fined than lose a match because I had to stop grunting".[18] Former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova stated, "I've done this ever since I started playing tennis and I'm not going to change".[19] Serena Williams said that opponents grunting does not affect her: "I just play my game and sometimes I grunt and sometimes I don't. I'm not conscious when I'm doing it. I'm just zoned out. It doesn't really affect me if my opponent is [grunting]".[20]

Some players and commentators have noted the connection with pro tennis trainer Nick Bollettieri, who has personally trained the majority of the controversially loud "grunters" including Larcher de Brito, Seles, Sharapova, Agassi, and the Williams sisters, leading to repeated accusations that he has been deliberately teaching grunting as a novel tactic in order to give his latest generation of students an edge in competitive play.[21] Bollettieri has denied teaching grunting as a distraction tactic, and says grunting is natural, "I prefer to use the word 'exhaling'. I think that if you look at other sports, weightlifting or doing squats or a golfer when he executes the shot or a hockey player, the exhaling is a release of energy in a constructive way".[19] In 2011, after Danish player Caroline Wozniacki (then world no. 1) publicly accused Bollettieri's students of cheating by grunting, Women's Tennis Association Chairman Stacy Allaster stated that the WTA would be "talking to the Bollettieri academy" about the predominance of loud grunters from that institution and how it could be eliminated from the next generation of players. One year later, a division of Bollettieri's academy released a document calling grunting "unsportsmanlike" and acknowledging that it obscures the sound of string impact (as noted by Navratilova), resulting in "an increase in an opponent's decision error, and a slower response time".[21]

Louise Deeley, a sports psychologist at Roehampton University, believes that grunting is part of the rhythm for tennis players: "The timing of when they actually grunt helps them with the rhythm of how they're hitting and how they're pacing things". She also believes that banning grunting is not the solution: "They may feel, on the surface, that this is going to be a distraction to their game, that it is part and parcel of what they do".[22] Bruce Lynne, a physiologist at University College London, believes that reflexes might have an effect: "If you're looking at reflexes in the legs and you ask someone to clench their jaw, then believe it or not, the reflexes in their legs get brisker, that's a well-known problem called re-enforcement".[22]

References edit

  1. ^ Levi, Joshua. "Ken Roswall: today's tennis makes me GRUNT". North Shore Times. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
  2. ^ Bud Collins (2007-07-08). "Shriek cheats, the rebels yell". Guardian. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  3. ^ Martin Rogers (2009-05-29). "The 'shriek heard 'round the world' must be muffled". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  4. ^ "Scream queens distract opponents, says Evert". Indian Express. 2009-06-29. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  5. ^ Megan Lane (2005-06-22). "Why do women tennis stars grunt?". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  6. ^ a b John Jeansonne (2009-06-29). . Newsday. Archived from the original on 2009-07-03. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  7. ^ "Stop That Grunt!". Time.com. 1992-07-13.
  8. ^ a b c Barry Flatman (2009-06-14). "One more grunt and you're out: Wimbledon to crack down after complaints". Times Online. London. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  9. ^ Mark Hodgkinson (2009-04-05). "Victoria Azarenka the big noise after beating Serena Williams to win Miami title". Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  10. ^ a b "Evert joins 'grunting' debate". Independent. 2009-06-29. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  11. ^ Maasdorp, James (17 January 2018). "Australian Open: Aryna Sabalenka's screams see crowd mock her grunts as Ashleigh Barty advances". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  12. ^ Spiro Zavos (2008-01-23). "Take the grunt out of tennis". The Roar. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  13. ^ Danielle Rossingh (2009-05-29). "First Seles, Now Larcher: Grunts Escalate in Paris". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  14. ^ ESPN and Agência Gazeta Press (2012-10-20). "Com gritos tradicionais, Guga vence Lapentti em jogo de exibição". ESPN Brasil (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2016-09-27.
  15. ^ "Djokovic unhappy with chair umpire's decision to award point to Sinner". 2023-07-14.
  16. ^ "The Science of the Tennis Grunt". The New Yorker. 2018-09-10.
  17. ^ "Tennis legend Navratilova calls grunters cheats". News.com.au. 2009-06-04. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  18. ^ "Michelle Larcher de Brito refuses to tone down the grunting". News.com.au. 2009-06-23. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  19. ^ a b Tom Geoghegan (2009-06-22). "What a racket". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  20. ^ Rachel Heyler Donaldson (2009-06-22). "Tennis coach Nick Bollettieri suggests penalties for 'unnaturally loud' players such as Michelle Larcher de Brito". The First Post. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  21. ^ a b Mark Hodgkinson (2012-01-04). "Special report: Nick Bollettieri's grunting document". The Tennis Space. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
  22. ^ a b Alok Jha (2005-06-23). "Does grunting help tennis players with their game?". Guardian. Retrieved 2009-07-09.

External links edit

  • Acoustic analysis of tennis grunting

January 01, 1970
grunting, tennis, loud, noise, made, some, players, while, hitting, their, shots, such, noises, have, sometimes, been, described, shrieking, screaming, monica, seles, jimmy, connors, john, mcenroe, generally, considered, grunt, creators, women, games, respecti. Grunting in tennis is a loud noise made by some players while hitting their shots 1 Such noises have sometimes been described as shrieking 2 3 or screaming 4 Monica Seles Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe are generally considered to be the grunt creators in the women s and men s games respectively 5 6 7 Examples of contemporary tennis players who grunt are Serena Williams Venus Williams 8 Maria Sharapova Victoria Azarenka 9 10 Aryna Sabalenka 11 Rafael Nadal Andy Murray Novak Djokovic Carlos Alcaraz Dominic Thiem David Ferrer 12 13 and Gustavo Kuerten 14 However some players such as Djokovic have reduced their grunting habits as their career has progressed although hindrance from Djokovic s grunting earned Jannik Sinner his opponent a point in the semifinals of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships Men s singles 15 16 Overview and punishment editIn the 1988 US Open Ivan Lendl complained about Andre Agassi s grunting When Agassi went for a big shot his grunt was much louder It threw off my timing 8 In the 2009 French Open Aravane Rezai complained to the umpire about Michelle Larcher de Brito s shrieking which led to a Grand Slam supervisor being brought to the court No action was taken against Larcher de Brito and she was booed off the court 8 Afterwards former tennis player Martina Navratilova said that grunting was a form of cheating The grunting has reached an unacceptable level It is cheating pure and simple It is time for something to be done She also cited Roger Federer as an example of a successful player who does not grunt Roger Federer doesn t make a noise when he hits the ball go and listen The concern was not limited to mere distraction or unpleasantness In particular Navratilova was concerned that grunting drowned out the sound of the ball leaving the grunter s racquet and prevented an experienced opponent from using that clue as to force and spin to address his or her reception of the ball and the return stroke 17 Another former player Chris Evert stopped short of labelling it as cheating but said I wouldn t go that far to say it s cheating but I think the grunts are getting louder and more shrill now with the current players 10 Some tennis players have defended grunting Michelle Larcher de Brito who had a reported decibel reading of 109 said If people don t like my grunting they can always leave 6 In a different interview she said Nobody can tell me to stop grunting Tennis is an individual sport and I m an individual player If they have to fine me go ahead because I d rather get fined than lose a match because I had to stop grunting 18 Former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova stated I ve done this ever since I started playing tennis and I m not going to change 19 Serena Williams said that opponents grunting does not affect her I just play my game and sometimes I grunt and sometimes I don t I m not conscious when I m doing it I m just zoned out It doesn t really affect me if my opponent is grunting 20 Some players and commentators have noted the connection with pro tennis trainer Nick Bollettieri who has personally trained the majority of the controversially loud grunters including Larcher de Brito Seles Sharapova Agassi and the Williams sisters leading to repeated accusations that he has been deliberately teaching grunting as a novel tactic in order to give his latest generation of students an edge in competitive play 21 Bollettieri has denied teaching grunting as a distraction tactic and says grunting is natural I prefer to use the word exhaling I think that if you look at other sports weightlifting or doing squats or a golfer when he executes the shot or a hockey player the exhaling is a release of energy in a constructive way 19 In 2011 after Danish player Caroline Wozniacki then world no 1 publicly accused Bollettieri s students of cheating by grunting Women s Tennis Association Chairman Stacy Allaster stated that the WTA would be talking to the Bollettieri academy about the predominance of loud grunters from that institution and how it could be eliminated from the next generation of players One year later a division of Bollettieri s academy released a document calling grunting unsportsmanlike and acknowledging that it obscures the sound of string impact as noted by Navratilova resulting in an increase in an opponent s decision error and a slower response time 21 Louise Deeley a sports psychologist at Roehampton University believes that grunting is part of the rhythm for tennis players The timing of when they actually grunt helps them with the rhythm of how they re hitting and how they re pacing things She also believes that banning grunting is not the solution They may feel on the surface that this is going to be a distraction to their game that it is part and parcel of what they do 22 Bruce Lynne a physiologist at University College London believes that reflexes might have an effect If you re looking at reflexes in the legs and you ask someone to clench their jaw then believe it or not the reflexes in their legs get brisker that s a well known problem called re enforcement 22 References edit Levi Joshua Ken Roswall today s tennis makes me GRUNT North Shore Times Retrieved 2011 06 23 Bud Collins 2007 07 08 Shriek cheats the rebels yell Guardian Retrieved 2009 07 06 Martin Rogers 2009 05 29 The shriek heard round the world must be muffled Yahoo Sports Retrieved 2009 07 06 Scream queens distract opponents says Evert Indian Express 2009 06 29 Retrieved 2009 07 06 Megan Lane 2005 06 22 Why do women tennis stars grunt BBC Sport Retrieved 2009 07 06 a b John Jeansonne 2009 06 29 Grunting in tennis Gamesmanship or unsportsmanlike Newsday Archived from the original on 2009 07 03 Retrieved 2009 07 06 Stop That Grunt Time com 1992 07 13 a b c Barry Flatman 2009 06 14 One more grunt and you re out Wimbledon to crack down after complaints Times Online London Retrieved 2009 07 06 Mark Hodgkinson 2009 04 05 Victoria Azarenka the big noise after beating Serena Williams to win Miami title Telegraph Retrieved 2009 07 06 a b Evert joins grunting debate Independent 2009 06 29 Retrieved 2009 07 06 Maasdorp James 17 January 2018 Australian Open Aryna Sabalenka s screams see crowd mock her grunts as Ashleigh Barty advances ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 19 January 2018 Spiro Zavos 2008 01 23 Take the grunt out of tennis The Roar Retrieved 2009 07 06 Danielle Rossingh 2009 05 29 First Seles Now Larcher Grunts Escalate in Paris Bloomberg Retrieved 2009 07 06 ESPN and Agencia Gazeta Press 2012 10 20 Com gritos tradicionais Guga vence Lapentti em jogo de exibicao ESPN Brasil in Portuguese Retrieved 2016 09 27 Djokovic unhappy with chair umpire s decision to award point to Sinner 2023 07 14 The Science of the Tennis Grunt The New Yorker 2018 09 10 Tennis legend Navratilova calls grunters cheats News com au 2009 06 04 Retrieved 2009 07 06 Michelle Larcher de Brito refuses to tone down the grunting News com au 2009 06 23 Retrieved 2009 07 06 a b Tom Geoghegan 2009 06 22 What a racket BBC News Retrieved 2009 07 06 Rachel Heyler Donaldson 2009 06 22 Tennis coach Nick Bollettieri suggests penalties for unnaturally loud players such as Michelle Larcher de Brito The First Post Retrieved 2009 07 06 a b Mark Hodgkinson 2012 01 04 Special report Nick Bollettieri s grunting document The Tennis Space Retrieved 2013 09 13 a b Alok Jha 2005 06 23 Does grunting help tennis players with their game Guardian Retrieved 2009 07 09 External links editAcoustic analysis of tennis grunting Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Grunting in tennis amp oldid 1173908126, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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