Why does sharapova grunt

During the present tour, Maria Sharapova is grunting the loudest, sometimes clearing decibels on the court. The original makers of the tennis grunt were Monica Seles and Jimmy Connors. What is walkover in Tennis. How To Practice Tennis Alone.

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There are few more controversial subjects in tennis, or in all professional sport, than grunting. It's sometimes said that Jimmy Connors is "the father of the tennis grunt", and that he invented grunting in the s, and with every generation of players since the subject hasn't become any less divisive. Grunting doesn't help players win any popularity contests, with fans often muting their televisions so the noise doesn't spoil their enjoyment of the match.

It's also not unusual for players to complain to umpires about the sound coming from the other end of the court. Maria Sharapova and Monica Seles spent far more time talking about grunting during their careers than they would have liked. Scientists have established a clear link between grunting and power, with studies showing that those who make some noise hit their groundstrokes 3. And the benefits of grunting are even bigger when serving - grunters serve 4.

It seems that it's easier to make more physical effort when you're letting out a loud noise as you do it. You might not realise it, but you use sound to gauge how hard your opponent hits the ball, and also the direction of the shot. Studies have shown that when their opponents are grunting, tennis players are between three and four per cent worse at assessing where the ball is heading and at what speed. One study suggested that players take 30 milliseconds longer to react.