Are we being well served by the Wimbledon grunters?
Columnist
By Spiro Zavos, 27 Jun 2009 Spiro Zavos is a Roar Expert
Maria Sharapova next to Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, women's singles finals Australian Open Jan. 26, 2008 - AAP Image/Barbara walton
Column 8 in the Sydney Morning Herald ran two great questions the other day from David Astin: “Why do the commentators always refer to the female players as ‘Miss Smith, and the like, but never refer to the male players as ‘Mr Jones?’”
He also went on to wonder: “Why do the crowds have to fall silent when players are ready to serve? Imagine those rules at football, cricket or at the races? Shhh. The horses are about to start running.”
These questions got me thinking about Victoria Azarenka’s request for respect from the crowd watching her play the Roumanian Ralucca Ola.
The crowd (rightly in my opinion) mimicked Azarenka’s wailing grunts every time she prepared to serve.
Martina Navratilova describes the grunting as “cheating, pure and simple.” She has called on the Wimbledon officials to exercise their rights and deduct points from the offenders.
In further evidence that the “pure and simple” part of Navratilova’s description is not actually accurate, we had the Portugese teenager Michelle Larcher start her first round match off against the Italian Francesca Schiavone without grunting.
But after she lost the first first and then got into trouble in the second set, the grunting got louder and louder.
“She sounded like she was dying,” a spectator, Lucy Clements was quoted as saying. Her brother said that they didn’t have to actually be at courtside to watch her play: ”We can do that from outside the court.”
Now, here’s the deal for the grunters: if you want the genteel practice of being called ‘Miss’ or ‘Mrs’ to be continued and if you want silence as you are preparing to serve, then FOR GOD’S SAKE stop the grunting and screaming!
Otherwise, you will be served with some payback noise just for you, until you start playing the way the greats like Roger Federer and most of the champions before him have – in an intense and ruthless silence.
Another reader to the SMH, Adrian Sheen, summed up our agony over this grunting nonsense admirably in a letter to the editor: “I’m glad Maria Sharapova lost. I had to turn the television sound off in case the neighbours wondered what was going on.”
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Jecker Bonds said | June 27th 2009 @ 5:22am | Report comment
It was Peter Ustinov who first used a “neighbours” reference. When somebody took him to see the original screamer, Monica Seles, he said, “I pity the neighbours on her wedding night.”
Personally, I was always sorry that Meg Ryan never became a pro tennis player. Then we really would have had some good sounds.
vinay verma said | June 27th 2009 @ 10:20am | Report comment
Spiro,some of the male players also grunt. They sound like a stallion being gelded. Nadal and Gonzalez are serial grunters and it seems a more European trend than Australian. Stosur and Hewitt may occassionally bleat but never squeal or grunt.
I agree Sharaprova is a blight on the game. Its a no no just like not talking as the bowler is about to bowl. A batsman would back away. I think tennis players should back away if there is agrunt during the serve or a shot.
There is nothing attractive about a female tennis player grunting.
ohtani's jacket, said | June 27th 2009 @ 10:51am | Report comment
Spiro, you’ve really been flogging this into the ground.
Did it ever occur to you that perhaps Martina Navratilova couldn’t handle Seles beating her? In the ’92 Wimbledon semi, Navratilova resorted to grunting herself and Seles still hit winners. It all led to that ridiculous situation where Seles toned it down in the final and lost badly to Steffi Graf.
I can’t believe you’re suggesting there shouldn’t be silence before a serve. Conners grunted. McEnroe grunted. Early Aggassi grunted. Nadal grunts. What’s the big deal?
Viscount Crouchback said | June 27th 2009 @ 1:32pm | Report comment
Super article, Spiro. If we can’t maintain decorum at Wimbers, then where can we maintain decorum?