IF you’ve ever watched a tennis match then you may have been left wondering why the players often grunt.
With Wimbledon 2024 underway, you are sure to hear the players putting their everything into the game.
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 Louise Deeley, a sports psychologist, 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.
Most Read In Tennis
“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.”
Which tennis player grunts the loudest?
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.
Read more on Sport
Interestingly women’s tennis legend Martina Navratilova wasn’t a fan.
She said it was “cheating and has to stop”.
Here’s some well-known players that you’re sure to hear grunting on the court:
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is the reigning Wimbledon champion and is set to return to the court.
He was docked a point during his semi-final victory over Jannik Sinner in 2023 for an extended grunt.
He was accused of distracting his opponent which is why umpire Richard Haigh made the decision.
Andy Murray
Andy Murray has previously poked fun at himself for his grunts.
Sharing a video of himself practicing he captioned it “Eeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaa?”, making fun of the noise he was making.
Serena Williams
Serena Williams has said in the past that she based her grunt on a fellow player.
Speaking on the Late Show with David Letterman in 2009, she said her grunt was modelled on Monica Seles.
She said: “She’s like the first person that I know that really used to grunt really loud and really hard, so that’s kind of how I modelled my grunt after.
“Yeah, because you have to have role models when it comes to grunting.”
Venus Williams
Venus Williams reportedly has a grunt which reaches 85 decibels.
Like her sister, she has a loud grunt which the pair have previously discussed whether it distracts fellow opponents.
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova is famous for her loud grunts while playing tennis.
She has recorded a grunt of 101 decibels, making her one of the only players to have a grunt this loud.
Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz has come under fire for the sound of his grunts before.
One of his opponents at the French Open, Stefanos Tsitsipas, complained that his extended grunts were too distracting to play the game properly.
Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal once had to respond to complaints from Roger Federer about his grunts.
He previously responded: “I really don’t know that. When I am playing, when I am hitting the ball during the point, the last thing that I am thinking is try to bother the opponent.
“Only thing that I am focusing is try to hit my ball well. That’s it.”
Aryna Sabalenka
A recent study has showed that Aryna Sabalenka is one of the female players who grunts the most during her matches.
According to stats up to June 2023, Sabalenka was found to have made the noise every time she served and 95 per cent of the time she played a shot.