Did you know that tennis is one of the noisiest sports in the world? Players, both male and female, often grunt while playing their shots and grunting has become a facet of the game for decades now. Even though grunting gives certain players an advantage terms of their own performance, some players take it to a whole new level. Maria Sharapova, a retired Russian former world number one, is one of them. Sharapova once stated that grunting was a natural habit for her and not taught. During her playing career from 2001-2020, she was not only one of the best players in the women’s singles circuit, but also one of the best grunters.
Sharapova’s grunts have once been measured at 101 decibels. In case you were wondering how loud that is, that sound is comparable to a jet taking off from the ground. Sharapova — who returned to tennis in April after serving a 15-month doping ban — wasn’t offered a wild card entry for the French Open but is expected to make it through qualifying and land in the main draw at Wimbledon — tennis’ most prestigious tournament. Meanwhile Azarenka, who also isn’t competing at Roland Garros, hinted in a tweet last week she would surface at the famous SW19 postcode after intending to make her own comeback — the Belarussian gave birth to son Leo in December and hasn’t played since last year’s French Open — at a Wimbledon warmup.
While some TV viewers in the past have complained about the loudness of grunts and other fans have opted for earplugs or even mimicked those sounds when in the stadium, it turns out that grunting can aid performance on the tennis court.
Credit : CNN
Picture Credit : Google
