"Nobody can tell me to stop grunting," she said after a first round win over her Czech opponent. "Tennis is an individual sport and I'm an individual player."If they have to fine me, go ahead because I'd rather get fined than lose a match because I had to stop grunting," she said.
Interestingly, she was totally quiet in her easy match today. Seems that she only screams like an unrelenting banshee when she's having trouble on the court, which tells you pretty much everything you need to about screaming (not grunting) -- it's a tactic to distract opponents and disrupt a match:
"Definitely if the matches are going to be tougher, obviously I'm going to start grunting," she said. "I'm just here for myself. I'm not here really to be quiet for anybody. I'm here to play. I'm here to win. That's it. If people don't like my grunting, they can always leave."
Yes, they can, and I hope they do. I already skip Maria Sharapova matches on TV because I can't stand the caterwauling, which was on full display on both sides of the net during her first round Wimbledon match. I've always thought Sharapova crossed the decibel line, and what I've heard of Larcher De Brito is way beyond anything Sharapova has explosively exhaled on court. Turn off the TV, go visit another court, do anything but watch one of these screech-fests. Maybe the powers that be -- not to mention the almighty sponsors and advertisers -- will catch a clue.
What about women's pole vaulting? Many of them screech when they pass the bar, but I wait for the ones that make this cute little "eep!" noise when they clear. Watch it some time on the Olympics, they're a hoot.
Posted by: jimbo | June 24, 2009 at 10:23 PM