[Honealals]

Notorious grunters put on notice
By Leo Schlink

June 15, 2009 12:00am

NOTORIOUS tennis grunters have been put on notice on the eve of Wimbledon. Stung into action by Martina Navratilova's call for grunting to be declared a form of cheating, the International Tennis Federation is poised to crack down.

The ITF is now considering broadening the measures officials can take in penalising screeching repeat offenders such as Maria Sharapova.

Umpires already have the power to award a point against grunting players if they are assessed to have hindered their opponents.

But now the ITF is weighing up whether to include "noise hindrance" in its code of conduct.

Under the new rule, persistent offenders could be defaulted from a match under a penalty scale which, at first, calls for the docking of points and then games.

Navratilova, winner of a record nine Wimbledon singles crowns, will be delighted if the new rule is mandated.

"I see too many issues that are potentially harmful to the future of the game," she said last week. "Top of the list is grunting, screeching, shrieking, whatever you want to call it. I call it cheating and it's got to stop."

The issue came to a head during the first week of the French Open when Michelle Larcher de Brito argued bitterly with officials over the amount of noise she was making. The Portuguese teenager was warned for her piercing screams and their length.

"The noise extends into the hitting preparation time of her opponent and that creates problems," the ITF's Bill Babcock said.

"The events at Roland Garros have heightened the issue."

Former world No. 1 Sharapova is one of the worst grunters, occasionally topping 100 decibels.

Monica Seles's screech was measured to reach 93 decibels at Wimbledon in 1992. Venus and Serena Williams have hit 90 decibels.

Several male players have also been criticised for the habit.

In 1988, Ivan Lendl complained about Andre Agassi making too much noise when they came up against each other in the US Open.

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegrap...001023,00.html

[Honealals]

Hard to believe it took a raw teenager like Larcher DeBrito to bring the issue to a head, but I'm incredibly grateful that something might, at last, be done. I have no doubt in my mind that there is an element of gamesmanship to most of the players grunting, and it needs to be addressed.

[sFs4aOok]

I'm kinda glad about this, honestly. I had to put my comp on mute when I watched De Brito play. I can only imagine how loud she sounded in the stands.

[Honealals]

Maybe it's just me, (because I'm surprised it isn't mentioned more often), but I find Azarenka's grunt/bird call incredibly annoying.

[Super-Luser]

One of the commentators said during MLdB match that there is no rule against screaming, but there might be one after her "performance". I guess he knew what he was talking about...

And by the way I fully support it assuming they are not taking it to absurd levels. Next thing they need to tackle is time wasting before serving...

[PyncGyncliacy]

I think it's going to be incredibly unfair on people who've been playing like this with no repercussion for 10-15 years (more for Venus?) and will have to be consciously trying to stop on every point. I bet this will be enforced for a couple months then forgotten.

[secondmertg]

I think it's going to be incredibly unfair on people who've been playing like this with no repercussion for 10-15 years (more for Venus?) and will have to be consciously trying to stop on every point. I bet this will be enforced for a couple months then forgotten.

Whenever I have tried to mockingly grunt while hitting the ball, it has resulted in a miss-hit, often the ball flying over the fence for a homerun.

So I definitely agree with the above, Sharapova, Venus, and the like are in for a bit of rough patch if the ITF seriously clamps down on the grunting.

Also, will the WTA and ATP adopt the rules? If not, we will have grunting at every event except the slams and the Davis and Fed Cup. How strange will that be?

[sadgpokx]

One of the commentators said during MLdB match that there is no rule against screaming, but there might be one after her "performance". I guess he knew what he was talking about...

And by the way I fully support it assuming they are not taking it to absurd levels. Next thing they need to tackle is time wasting before serving...

In my opinion time wasted before service it is a bigger problem (gender neutral) and should be address first,,,,

[Lxbsvksl]

Most of the people I work with are only casual (at best) tennis fans. But when I talk about tennis with them, one of the points which comes up repeatedly is the amount of noise the players are making. I do think all the grunting detracts somewhat from the game and gives people a reason not to watch.

I hope they are serious about cracking down on the noise, and it's not just a publicity stunt.

[HBPujWBe]

LdB may have precipitated the crack down by asking the chair during that match if Sharapova had ever been told to quiet down. After that the supervisor was at every match played by a "grunter".

[FelixQY]

[v74ClzKY]

Nice!!!! I love it! But I actually think the timing is wrong. It should be implemented in the offseason so players have time to adjust.

[tarmpriopay]

Nice!!!! I love it! But I actually think the timing is wrong. It should be implemented in the offseason so players have time to adjust.

What's funny is that the grunting doesn't bother me. When I have played against a grunter, it has helped me time the ball better. It's also made me laugh.

[v74ClzKY]

What's funny is that the grunting doesn't bother me. When I have played against a grunter, it has helped me time the ball better. It's also made me laugh.

I don't remember being bothered by anyone's grunting when I played.
But I don't enjoy it as a spectator.

[pharmablogger]

Kourtin' Karen's Grunt-O-Meter

Kourtin' Karen's Grunt-O-Meter

[abossakon]

What's funny is that the grunting doesn't bother me. When I have played against a grunter, it has helped me time the ball better. It's also made me laugh.

This is pretty much how I feel. I couldn't care less in person, as a spectator or on TV. I won't miss it if it's gone but I don't think it's such a big deal.

Navratilova, by the way, has been railing against this for almost 20 years and I still think she is horribly bitter about losing to Seles in the Wimbledon SF in 1992.

[Stovegeothnon]

And tennis once again reinforces its rep as supremely uptight.

[altosburg]

Grunting ftw! I would miss it if it were gone.

[Penisvergroesserung]

And tennis once again reinforces its rep as supremely uptight.

True, but when it's disrupting matches on other courts, it's a problem.

[Stovegeothnon]

True, but when it's disrupting matches on other courts, it's a problem.

For all the concern expressed for the players, as I understand it the complaints from the players are few and far between. Commentators, posters, etc are just personally irritated, which is fine. But making it an ITF battle, to me, is a waste of time off court and on.

All this for a silent Venus and Serena match. And how much less fun would that be?