Sharapova shut up! Tennis grunting is cheating

Submitted by dgec on Fri, 06/05/2009 - 11:31.
TAGS:
Sharapova shut up! Tennis grunting is cheating
Author:
Spiro Zavos, The Roar

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!

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 01/21/2012 - 02:52.

I agree, it is cheating. Lets get it stopped before people simply turn off Womens Tennis altogether. They are cheats. Pure and simple!

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Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 01/21/2012 - 02:49.

I agree, Martina Navratalova is DEFINITELY RIGHT! THEY ARE CHEATING! When are the people running Tennis going to get the strength to OUTLAW this cheating, otherwise, lets legalise ALL CHEATING. Then the whole game will go down the gurgler. Frankly, I have to turn off the tennis these days, there is just too much grunting. It is a damn annoyance. AND IT IS DEFINITELY CHEATING. Why dont the players revolt. Now there's a thought!

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Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 07/01/2011 - 10:01.

Please give an advise what is the right place to complaint so tennis rules would be changed, to stop bastards like Maria ShutUpova

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Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 06/28/2011 - 18:49.

Martina Navratilova has got it right, plain and simple, it's cheating. As a viewer and fan of watching tennis, it is near impossible for me to watch Sharapova play a match without the mute button on. The Tennis assoc needs to put a muzzle on these players. Sharapova will never have a legacy as a great player, but more so a noisy, screeching cheater.

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Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 05/30/2010 - 19:54.

I totally agree. Although, I believe that there should be 'degrees' of sound set out and labelled which are unacceptable. There is: Exhalation (like boxers), moaning (Rafeal Nadal), shouting and lastly, shreaking (Maria Sharapova). All except 'exhalation' should be banned, with deduction first of points, then games and finally the match if players are warned and fail to comply. Whilst I agree that those players doing this will not be able to stop immediately, this can be quickly achieved by what is know as 'Training and Practise'! As this seasons tournaments get under way, lets put a stop to this 'Gamesmanship' once and for all!

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Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 08/19/2009 - 05:14.

Thanks so much for your opposition to the obnoxiousness of some 30% of WTA players and some 20% of the ATP. The tournaments seem unwilling to do anything about the shrieking. The TV commentators are saddeningly failing to criticize any among the top twenty for such rudeness. I guess it will take one daring woman to demand a degree of quietude from her opponent and if no change occurs to walk off the court.
Thank goodness for Navritalova and now this week, Jelena Jankovic, for open criticism of this horrible trend in women's tennis. JJ pointed out that many, if not most, of the shriekers are totally quiet during their practice sessions.
I will join the movement to penalize the grunters. Where do I sign up. Felipe

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