They should outlaw my moving furniture. Not only do I grunt, but I laugh hysterically at the slightest heavy breathing. Obviously I don't know my place.

at the risk of getting pummeled, I wanted to say that even though I feel weird about the issue being brought up, I do agree that the whole grunting by female tennis players is getting out of hand. It used to be an occasional grunt/scream when it was a particularly hard hit/the one the got away type of shit. Now, I can barely watch tennis, 'cause if you don't look, it sounds like someone's having REALLY rough sex. And, while I'm all for having wild sex, when I watch tennis, I'd like to not have the wrong soundtrack.

Actually, I have a theory (and I think the article in question mentions it, as well) that the grunting may be a tactic to unsettle the other player, 'cause DAMN it's annoying. The crowd at the match must remain quiet, but the players are not restricted in any way, and I know by personal experience that it's really hard to concentrate when every time your opponent hits the fucking ball they go AAAAAAAUGH!!!!

So. Just my 2 cents.

Having said that, I have NO idea how any restrictions would be realistically enforcable.

Also, the excuse usually is that women are weaker (HAH!) and it's harder for them to hit the ball, and that's why the grunts of pain. 'Cause, you know, hitting a tennis ball is totally like moving the furniture. Dur?

(and yes, it's pretty much only the women, as far as I know that are getting orgasmic on the court)

It's not just the women. In the French Open final between I Don't Know and That One Dude*, both of them were grunting like crazy. Also, if grunting in rhythm with hitting the ball is distracting to the other player, the other player should get a new line of work.

*Disrespect not totally intended, I just don't remember who was in the final, mostly because men's tennis seems to be made up of a bunch of who dats.

The grunting thing started with the great Monica Seles, whose grunt was more than a grunt--it was an entire two-syllable war cry. It so irritated Jennifer Capriati that she once yelled across the net to Monica to "shut the fuck up!"

No one has grunted like Monica since, and no one ever will. Some players, like Justine Henin-Hardenne, when they have played for a couple of hours and are tired, start grunting. Hers is a very soft grunt. Maria Sharapova's grunt irritates people because it is kind of a scream.

I don't think any of these players does it to upset their opponents. Tennis, sadly, is different than in the days when players used wooden raquets and their brains. Now it is "power" tennis, with lots and lots of physical effort; hence, you have grunting. And lots of injuries.

And yes, many of the men players grunt, but no one criticizes them for it. Big surprise. They also break their racquets and yell and scream. The worst offender is Safin, who thinks that women are "too emtional."

as a (former "serious", now occasional) tennis player and having a mother who loves her tennis and grunts, i don't get what the big deal is. some people find it helps them concentrate, and although maybe a minority of people are trying to distract their opponents, my (admittedly unscientific and anecdotal) understanding suggests people just do it because people make noise when they do stuff. it sounds totally like a ploy to make women "ladylike" and create rules to support that idea.

I don't watch tennis, but I always thought the grunting in tennis was for the same thing that the "heeya" sound is in martial arts.

I don't watch tennis, but I always thought the grunting in tennis was for the same reason that people make the "heeya" sound in martial arts.

A couple things:

If the players were doing it as a method of distraction, then they would yell before their opponent hit the ball and NOT when they themselves are hitting the ball.

I teach self-defense and one of the techniques that we teach involves yelling (called Ki up). When you hell and hit at the same time you get a more powerful hit. Scientifically proven to increase your power by around 17%. Therefore, using your Ki Up in tennis would allow for a harder hit.

Grunting, IIRC, was started by a male tennis player, Jimmy Connors, way back in the 70s. He was also one of the first major pro players to use the two-handed backhand swing, which I think is now the norm.

Sure, I think it's annoying, whether by a male or female player, but it's stupid to make a rule restricting it.

As someone mentioned earlier if she didn't know it was a tennis match and was just able to hear the sound, she'd mistake it for a wild sex session. Well, I think this is why so many people find it disturbing especially when it comes from a woman. Women aren't supposed to be overtly sexual and subconsciously it bothers the general public. It doesn't bother me -- it's almost amusing. I'm not sure if it's an intimidation tactic or just being tired and grunting is easier than holding it in. I guess we'll have to wait and see where this goes...