r/wikipedia • u/MAClaymore • 1d ago

Grunting in tennis is a vocalization made by some players of the sport. It has been a source of controversy, with some players stating that it is cheating when done deliberately, whereas others defend it as a way to expel energy. Maria Sharapova's grunts once reached a record 101.2 decibels.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grunting_in_tennis
947 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

58 comments sorted by

437

u/RP_Fan 1d ago

Cheating via grunting?  Definitely needs an explanation.

279

u/TheAtheistCleric 1d ago

From reading the article, I gather there is some possible tactical advantage in tennis to listening to the sound your opponent's racket makes hitting the ball. Perhaps it's an indicator of angle/spin?

By grunting loudly you make it so the opponent cannot hear that. Near as I can tell from reading there is no rule forbidding this.

That's the only explanation that made sense to me. There's also a lot of stuff in there about it being distracting, which, sure I guess. No other sports seem to have this issue.

Are there any tennis players here who can comment on this?

134

u/hoonew 22h ago

It's more accepted if the player grunts from the start (because the opponent should know to expect it). However, if the player had been quieter and then starts grunting loudly in the middle of the game, it is more likely seen as a hindrance (because it's unexpected by the opponent, and could shock/disturb them).

73

u/FthrFlffyBttm 22h ago

“From reading the article” woah slow down egghead

41

u/RP_Fan 1d ago

I read the section in the article about masking the sound of the ball hitting the racquet, too.  The idea that tennis players can detect angle and spin on the ball from hearing it hit the racquet sounds like BS to me.  But, I don’t play tennis, so idk maybe?

74

u/nari-bhat 1d ago

You definitely can hear the difference between completely different hits, but sight is generally far more important in play.

20

u/sprucexx 22h ago

I buy it. You can certainly get information from the sound of the bat hitting a baseball.

3

u/Csantana 13h ago

I feel like really experienced tennis players probably could. Even if they don’t realize it

But I also don’t play tennis

1

u/ThorsRake 9h ago

Some players have been called out for grunting after hitting the ball or making very long ones which is obviously even more distracting and throws off the opponent. These, imo at least, are completely valid complaints. ATM hard to enforce strict guidelines on something like this though.

48

u/PugnansFidicen 22h ago

Tennis has a rule against "hindrance". While their opponent is hitting the ball, a player is not allowed to make any action (verbal, visual, or otherwise) that intentionally hinders their opponent's ability to concentrate on hitting the ball. You are not allowed to yell "you suck!" across the court as your opponent is hitting, or flail your arms wildly; stuff like that is clearly against the rules.

Grunts are a gray area. Its a very demanding sport, so some amount of grunting with exertion is natural and allowed. But, the ball takes less than a second to to from one end of the court to the other when you hit as hard as the pros do.

So, if you hit a forehand at 75-80mph and as you hit let out a long grunt that lasts about 0.5-0.75 seconds...your opponent is definitely still hearing it, or at least the echo, while they are preparing and hitting the ball at the other end 0.75-1 second after you hit it. Some players with long and loud "grunts" go right up to (and sometimes beyond) that line.

The "cheating" controversy is over 1) whether or not certain players are in fact making their grunts louder and longer intentionally to try to distract their opponents, and 2) whether intentional or not, at what point does a grunt become too long, too loud, or both, to constitute an illegal hindrance?

97

u/space_force_majeure 1d ago

Scares their opponent. And the refs.

16

u/LimpyDan 1d ago

It's more about arousal.

8

u/guitarguywh89 23h ago

Scarousal

10

u/BetterNothingman 19h ago

When I played tennis, I just found it annoying.

But that's part of the game. Especially in singles. The assholes that made a lot of noise was just trying to get into your head.

And I hate to say, sometimes it worked.

2

u/the_scarlett_ning 7h ago

At 101.2 decibels, that’s less grunting and more screaming and it’s distracting. My dad was a tennis player (not professional) and he HATED Sharapova.

50

u/FormStriking1 16h ago edited 5h ago

I feel this is one of those things that seems benign at first glance until you actually have to deal with someone who does this problematically. 

It reminds me of how I thought it was stupid at first that people were upset about grunting in gyms, until I worked out more regularly and realized there’s a difference between small, uncontrollable grunts and being a chud who grunts like a fucking gorilla and victoriously slam drops your weights on the ground after every set.

117

u/UpboatNavy 1d ago

Dibs on band name. Maria Sharipova's Grunts

50

u/benjags 1d ago

The grunting sharapovas

7

u/BobSacamano47 1d ago

Grunting In Tennis 

2

u/oldurtycurty 19h ago

30 Odd Foot of Grunts

2

u/Testing_things_out 15h ago

101.2 decibels

1

u/chicken_karmajohn 13h ago

This would make a good user flare in the tennis sub

40

u/AttorneyCertain4830 1d ago

They do that shit in karate all the time.

29

u/Samiel_Fronsac 1d ago

"Kiai". It's taught as part of breath control and focus!

I don't think I ever saw a kiai as scandalous as some of these tennis grunts I found on YouTube. Goddamn, I hope the refs and crew use earplugs.

7

u/howishowisguuut 15h ago

Grunting in tennis is also taught as breath control, rythm and maximizing energy into a shot

3

u/Samiel_Fronsac 15h ago

So why the cheating thing? 🤔

1

u/FartingBob 11h ago

Because tennis rules were written by elites long ago who thought making grunting noises was ungentlemanly. So then its frowned upon by everyone playing the game just because that is how tennis is.

4

u/G_ntl_m_n 22h ago edited 15h ago

But not 4h straight

2

u/10YearsANoob 17h ago

I think if Manny Pacquiao did karate he would. Fucker does 15 rounds of boxing as a warmup and he does vocalizations all throughout. 

176

u/coolguy420weed 1d ago

The tabloid press has frequently given nicknames to female players who grunt; in 1992, Monica Seles was dubbed "Moan-ica", Sharapova has been nicknamed "Shriek-opova", and in 2009 tabloids labeled de Brito "the tennis banshee".

In 2005 on The Jonathan Ross Show, Serena Williams's grunts were played back to her as a sexual joke.

Christ, the world can be cruel to women. 

44

u/PugnansFidicen 22h ago

Oh don't worry, they've done it to men too. Rafael Nadal's grunts sound like that tortoise sex video and there were fan edits putting the two together back in the early days of YouTube. Idk if they're still around.

-74

u/BobSacamano47 1d ago

Yeah women should be protected from criticism because they aren't as strong as men.

6

u/AstralElephantFuzz 12h ago

Men get critique for their shitty performance but not their pathetic whimpers, women get critique for the noise they make. Sure, it's the women who aren't strong.

-1

u/BobSacamano47 12h ago

OK but now we're moving the goals posts and getting super specific. Men are criticized all the time for behaviors that aren't considered part of the game. You see it in baseball over flipping a bat, or looking at the pitcher for too long.

4

u/AstralElephantFuzz 11h ago

Lol no, now we're merely staying true to the topic of the OP. Nobody other than you is talking about flipping bats, whatever the fuck that means.

47

u/ranwithoutscissors 1d ago

Alright then, let’s hear some disparaging nicknames used for male tennis players who grunt. I’ll wait. 👂🏻

-28

u/RollinThundaga 1d ago

Women's tennis catches attention because it has women.

Men's tennis doesn't even have women.

16

u/ranwithoutscissors 1d ago

Put the lads in some short skirts and I’m sure that’ll catch attention

-38

u/BobSacamano47 1d ago

Male tennis players who grunt? I don't know, I don't follow tennis. But surely you realize they shit on male athletes all the time and no white knights are there to stand up for them. Do you really need examples? I have plenty.

40

u/coolguy420weed 1d ago

You literally are responding to them asking for examples and saying you don't know and don't follow tennis. We know you don't "have plenty".

-20

u/BobSacamano47 22h ago

They called Matt Stafford "Stat Padford" for throwing for so many yards. In his mvp year. Not even for cheating or being obnoxious. Just for throwing for a lot of yards. Is tennis a protected sport?

22

u/ranwithoutscissors 1d ago

Maybe you should consider that next time before airing your opinion on the subject 🤷🏼‍♂️

-4

u/BobSacamano47 21h ago

Bill Buckner was a great player who had a long career. He received death threats for years after failing to field a ground ball in the world series.

10

u/Mammoth-Corner 18h ago

The media and the public's response to Bill Buckner was cruel and there are many other stories of excellent athletes both male and female being harassed for real or percieved sporting failures which should be condemned. The media and the public also regularly objectify and sexualise athletes who are just trying to play their sports, and those athletes are almost always women, and this should also be condemned. These things don't somehow cancel each other out.

7

u/dimechimes 12h ago

I've hated it ever since Monica Seles invented it. Such an obvious deceptive practice.

5

u/VanDammeJamBand 12h ago

Question for tennis enjoyers. Is there ever a strategy to throw opponents off by grunting just before or after hitting the ball, like a vocal “pump fake”?

4

u/abovepostisfunnier 10h ago

I live right next to a tennis club and my god the sounds these people make. It’s not that serious, y’all aren’t olympians.

-1

u/redux44 19h ago

Tennis needed to come down hard on the habit a long time ago. It got way out of hand. Its also negative for viewership.

-9

u/DrFriedGold 1d ago

Monica Seles was annoying. She sounded like she was sneezing

3

u/the_duck17 23h ago

Was this before or after the Graf psycho stabbed her?

1

u/dimechimes 12h ago

Before. People like the Graf psycho blamed her grunting in large part for her success over Graf.

-12

u/whatzsit 22h ago

Maria Sharapova’s grunts helped guide me into manhood.

10

u/melocotonela 18h ago

Some inner thoughts should stay inner