Sharapova shut up! Tennis grunting is cheating
Columnist
Russia's Maria Sharapova returns the ball to Belgium's Justine Henin - AP Photo/Rick Stevens
Finally, a tennis great has said what everyone who has suffered through those awful grunting matches between women tennis players thinks: it’s cheating.
Martina Navratilova, arguably the greatest woman tennis player of all with eighteen grand slam singles titles, has told the ITF’s Philippe Chatrier Award dinner that “the grunting has reached an unacceptable level. It is cheating, pure and simple. It is time for something to be done.”
Navratilova made the point that “Roger Federer doesn’t make a noise when he hits the ball – go and listen.”
Grunting started, Navratilova claims, with Monica Seles.
It was done to mask the sound of the ball hitting the racquet. As sound is one of the clues, and an important one, about the velocity of the returned ball, the grunting worked to stop the clue being presented to the opponent.
“I couldn’t hear the ball … I had to say something in the end,” Navratilova told her audience.
Watching the French Open when some of the women are playing has become an unbearable experience. Talk about aural pollution!
Complaints have been made one or two of the players, but the officials have gone to water on the problem.
The rules are clear enough. If the grunting is so obtrusive that it disadvantages the opposing player, then it can be ruled out of play.
I equate the grunting problem with swimming’s refusal to do anything about the hi-tech swim suits which allowed some competitors to have an unfair advantage over those not wearing the suits.
The swimming authorities have finally laid down regulations that allow everyone to swim in the same pool, as it were. It’s time now for the tennis authorities to listen to warnings from one of the greats of the game and stop the grunting now.
Otherwise viewers are going to be turned off watching women’s tennis.
What was once a thing of beauty and elegant power is now turning into a grunting match more in line with behaviour in a zoo than a tennis contest.
Maria Sharapova and all the other grunters – just shut up!
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Dushan said | June 5th 2009 @ 4:00am | Report comment
Sharapova rules and only losers who can’t beat her can complain about it….And speaking of Martina, she just feels powerless cos she is out of tennis and is down in the dumps that time passed her by
Reznik said | August 23rd 2009 @ 2:15pm | Report comment
Dushan, you are an ugly loser, scccceeeettchhhhhhhh!!!!!!!
mcxd said | June 5th 2009 @ 6:03am | Report comment
here here Spiro. i cant stand watching the game if she plays. its a disgrace she gets away with it.
Brett McKay said | June 5th 2009 @ 8:52am | Report comment
Spot on Spiro, and it was interesting and heartening to hear Martina’s comments. I don’t think anyone minds an audible “effort” grunt every now and again, but the womens game has become unbearable. And don’t worry about “viewers are going to be turned off “, that’s already been happening for years. For me, it was the Williams brothers that killed it as a spectacle. How anyone can “inadvertantly” let out the same blood-curdling shreik for a soft volley as they would a baseline shot is just beyond me..
joeb said | June 5th 2009 @ 1:14pm | Report comment
A mandatory gag or muzzle comes to mind for Ms Sharapova, as perhaps it should for the Williams twins as well. Unfortunately it reached the stage of having to turn the sound off some time ago, perhaps as far back as when a certain brat was on the circuit. Hear, hear for Martina’s timely reminder, and to think Seles could be so conniving!
“Navratilova made the point that “Roger Federer doesn’t make a noise when he hits the ball – go and listen.””
True, but to sob the way he did when he went down to the Spaniard in the Oz Open earlier this year is surely the epitome of poor sportsmanship as well, i.e., “I deserve it more than him, cos, cos,… I’m Roger the invincible.”
Hope the schmuck loses in the French.
Jameswm said | June 5th 2009 @ 1:16pm | Report comment
It’s not just cheating – it turns you off.
I don’t understand why they don’t do anything about it. Then again, I don’t know whyfootball doesn’t use video replays for off-sides and balls crossing the line, have tribunal reviews of matches etc…
Chop said | June 5th 2009 @ 1:18pm | Report comment
Joeb,
I bet you’re the kind of guy who sticks hot chips to the inside of your windscreen and watches seagulls knock themselves out going for it….
I don’t think Federer has EVER said he deserves it more. In fact he’s one of the most humble guys in sport in my opinion.
Hemjay said | June 5th 2009 @ 1:29pm | Report comment
If thats what shes like on the court imagine what she’s like in the bedroom
I have to agree there’s just no need for it. I see some so called experts are saying its the expultion of air or something stupid like that from the force of hitting the ball.
As for the chips thing Chop that is pretty funny
Benjamin Conkey said | June 5th 2009 @ 2:07pm | Report comment
Last night Kutsnetsova was consistent with her groundstrokes but inconsistent with her shrieking. I swear half the time they don’t even know they’re doing it or not doing it. It just turns into a habit. It could be eradicated as you said Spiro if they started taking points away. But then there would be even more shrieking directed at the umpire!
joeb said | June 5th 2009 @ 2:37pm | Report comment
“I bet you’re the kind of guy who sticks hot chips to the inside of your windscreen and watches seagulls knock themselves out going for it….” — Chop
No! That’s the sort of thing Goebbels and Mengele would get up to. Not me.
“It could be eradicated as you said Spiro if they started taking points away.”
Spot on Benje & Spiro.
Jimbo said | June 5th 2009 @ 2:41pm | Report comment
I don’t watch Sharapova – it’s too annoying.
I watched last night’s game between Sam Stosur and Svetlana Kuznetsova. On the most important games Kuznetsova was her loudest. There were points whe she made no noise at all.
Strangely, when she was her loudest she didn’t necessarily hit it hardest -as shown by her serve speed. It has to be ruled out. Coaches will then stop teaching it.