Why do tennis players grunt and which tennis player has the loudest grunt?

BRACE your eardrums tennis fans as Wimbledon is well underway – which means a lot of grunting is set to take place in SW19. The players will be leaving it all on the courts, which includes exerting their voice boxes.

PA:Press Association

PA

From Maria Sharapova’s shrieks to Serena Williams yelps and screams, there’s no way you’d be able to nod off in some of the games. And fans will have noticed Aryna Sabalenka’s yelps during her clash with Katie Boulter on Centre Court last year. Here, we find out all about the art of grunting.

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Why do tennis players grunt?

Some say tennis players grunt to put off their opponents. Others believes it’s simply a release of energy playing such an elite level of sport. But for Louise Deeley, a sports psychologist, she believes it can actually be a piece of the arsenal in their game.

Speaking to The Guardian, she said: “The timing of when they actually grunt helps them with the rhythm of how they’re hitting and how they’re pacing things. It may be that their perception is that if they grunt, they are hitting it harder. It’s going to give you confidence and a sense of being in control of your game.”

Who grunts the loudest?

On the current tour, Maria Sharapova is believed to grunt the loudest, often clearing past 100 decibels on court. Monica Seles and Jimmy Connors have been labelled as the original creators of the “tennis grunt”. Seles used to regularly reach 90 decibels. Interestingly women’s tennis legend Martina Navratilova wasn’t a fan. She said it was “cheating and has to stop”.