A big issue that has been affecting the tennis world for some time is grunting. Grunting is the shrieking or screaming that a player makes while he or she hits the ball. Mostly women do this, but some men are prone to do it as well. Why is it such a big deal? Let me ask you this: how would you feel with a large, adrenaline rushed tennis player on the other side of the net came rushing at you while grunting? I know that I would feel a little intimidated.
The problem with grunting is that many players feel as though some players do it just to intimidate others. Furthermore, it is quite annoying and disruptive to fans. I believe that there are players who cannot help their grunting problem; it is just something that happens to come out of their mouth.
Prominent players who are “famous” for their grunting include the Williams sisters, Maria Sharapova, and Rafael Nadal. Many people have asked for grunting to be banned or at least punishable. I believe that grunting is okay as long as it is not obnoxious. As soon as it gets out of hand, that’s where I would draw the line. It is not okay for grunting to draw away from the beauty that is the game of tennis.
There are other players like Michelle Larcher de Brito who defend grunting as being part of their individual rights. According to Wikipedia.org, Larcher de Brito said, “Nobody can tell me to stop grunting. 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 believes that it is perfectly fine. Larcher de Brito has a decibel rating of about 109 which is almost equivalent to a lion’s roar. That is definitely reaching the point of obnoxious for me. As a spectator at a tennis match, I would be very annoyed with a player grunting this loud.
Currently, there is no punishment for grunting, but an umpire can make the player forfeit a point if there is any hindrance to the play of tennis. A grunt could fall into this category.
Recently, a study has been done on the impact of tennis grunts at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Researchers found that, “the extraneous sound (the grunt) resulted in significantly slower response times, and significantly more decision errors, confirming that both response time and accuracy are negatively affected,” stated Scott Sinnett on sciencedaily.com.
Grunting in tennis is certainly an issue that needs to be addressed soon; however, not all grunters should be punished. Only the ones who get out of control with it need to be punished. There’s assuredly a problem when a tennis player is grunting as loud as a lion roars.
The problem with grunting is that many players feel as though some players do it just to intimidate others. Furthermore, it is quite annoying and disruptive to fans. I believe that there are players who cannot help their grunting problem; it is just something that happens to come out of their mouth.
Prominent players who are “famous” for their grunting include the Williams sisters, Maria Sharapova, and Rafael Nadal. Many people have asked for grunting to be banned or at least punishable. I believe that grunting is okay as long as it is not obnoxious. As soon as it gets out of hand, that’s where I would draw the line. It is not okay for grunting to draw away from the beauty that is the game of tennis.
There are other players like Michelle Larcher de Brito who defend grunting as being part of their individual rights. According to Wikipedia.org, Larcher de Brito said, “Nobody can tell me to stop grunting. 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 believes that it is perfectly fine. Larcher de Brito has a decibel rating of about 109 which is almost equivalent to a lion’s roar. That is definitely reaching the point of obnoxious for me. As a spectator at a tennis match, I would be very annoyed with a player grunting this loud.
Currently, there is no punishment for grunting, but an umpire can make the player forfeit a point if there is any hindrance to the play of tennis. A grunt could fall into this category.
Recently, a study has been done on the impact of tennis grunts at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Researchers found that, “the extraneous sound (the grunt) resulted in significantly slower response times, and significantly more decision errors, confirming that both response time and accuracy are negatively affected,” stated Scott Sinnett on sciencedaily.com.
Grunting in tennis is certainly an issue that needs to be addressed soon; however, not all grunters should be punished. Only the ones who get out of control with it need to be punished. There’s assuredly a problem when a tennis player is grunting as loud as a lion roars.
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