It’s the climactic week at Wimbledon, the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament, and the usual sights and sounds are on display:
Players competing in their traditional white. Well-dressed celebrities in the royal box. Fans eating bowls of strawberries and cream.
And … the grunting. Lots of grunting.
If you’ve watched much professional tennis, the grunting is hard to miss. Many top players make some sort of noise as they are striking the ball – an audible sign of effort that can range from a muffled grunt to a piercing shriek.
This has long been the subject of debate in the genteel tennis world, with many fans and some former players complaining that it’s too much racket.
“It’s not necessary,” tennis legend Martina Navratilova once said. “There’s no reason to be making that noise when you’re hitting a ball. We’re not lifting 200 pounds over our head.”
In past decades, most of the scrutiny about on-court grunting was aimed – perhaps unfairly – at women players. Former player Maria Sharapova’s world-class shrieks were once measured at 101 decibels – roughly the level of a pneumatic drill. When Sharapova faced fellow grunter Victoria Azarenka in the final of the 2012 Australian Open, one headline called it a “scream-queen” matchup. Serena Williams, one of the best players of all time, was another prolific grunter.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), which oversees the women’s professional tour, addressed gripes about on-court grunting in 2012, saying it would work with coaches and tennis academies to quiet the noises players make in matches.
But more recently, it’s the male players who have drawn complaints, and sanctions, for their grunts.
In a 2023 Wimbledon semifinal against Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic was penalized a point by the chair umpire for a long grunt he made after ripping a backhand down the line. And during a quarterfinal match last year at the French Open, Stefanos Tsitsipas complained to the umpire about an “extended grunt” from Carlos Alcaraz during a pivotal second-set tiebreak. Tsitsipas didn’t like the timing of the grunt, which he said came “when I’m about to hit the shot.”
So why do tennis players grunt, anyway? Experts cite several reasons. They also say that while grunting in matches may annoy spectators, it can actually improve performance.
It helps players breathe better
It can throw off opponents
It boosts velocity
