Aryna Sabalenka is through to the final of the Brisbane International, yet it was hard to watch her semi-final win against Victoria Azarenka with the sound turned on your television.
World No 2 Sabalenka beat two-time champion and No 8 seed Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 6-4 to seal her progression to a first final of 2024, with the power and brilliance she displayed drowned out by the noise she made generating each winner.
The grunting of tennis players when they strike the ball has long been a point of debate, with the volume of their on-court appearance rarely matched when they are on the practice court.
That has led to persistent suggestions that what can only be described as screaming during points is, in part, a plan to distract an opponent.
Players at the top end of the game need to be able to hear the ball being struck at the other end of the court, with an interference rule in place in tennis to ensure that part of the game is not impacted.
“A player should avoid grunting and making other loud noises,” reads the guidelines for the United States Tennis Association, who organise the US Open each year.
“Grunting and other loud noises may bother not only opponents but also players on adjacent courts.
“In an extreme, case an opponent or a player on an adjacent court may seek the assistance of an official. Grunting and the making of loud noises that affect the outcome of a point are hindrances.
“Only an official may rule that these actions are hindrances and order that a let be played or a loss of point, depending on whether an official had previously warned the offending player.”
Novak Djokovic was penalised at Wimbledon last summer as umpire Richard Haigh declared a loud roar he let out after hitting a clean winner against Jannik Sinner was deemed to be deliberate interference for an opponent.
That seemed a very harsh call and if that is the rules other umpires need to follow, it could be argued that Sabalenka falls foul of that rule on virtually every point she plays, with her screaming when she strikes the ball not a natural release of air from her mouth but more an out-of-control habit.
With Azarenka also yelling as she struck the ball in her semi-final with Sabalenka in Brisbane on Saturday – albeit at a lower volume – a match that contained some fantastic tennis served up a soundtrack that was almost impossible to enjoy.
Nice player #Sabalenka but something needs to b done about her noise and grunting on court!!!! @WTA change channel #watchsomethingelse
— Todd Woodbridge (@toddwoodbridge) January 16, 2018
This is not the first time the issue of Sabalenka ‘grunting’ has been raised, with the Australian Open crowd mocking her by copying her shouts during points in a match with Ashleigh Barty in 2018.
The chair umpire responded by asking the crowd ‘not to scream’ during the rally, with the Rod Laver Arena audience laughing at that request as they were being deafened by Sabalenka’s audible racket that was as loud as it was ridiculous.
“I think we have a rule in place, hindrance rule,” said former Caroline Wozniacki, as she addressed the grunting issue.
“I think obviously it’s the umpire’s job to cut down on it. Also if the player feels that it’s disturbing, to go up to the umpire and say so. I think it’s different if someone has the same grunt. We have some players that have the same grunt. That’s one thing. You get used to it. It’s not really a big deal.
“But it’s different whenever the grunts change from ball to ball and point to point. That’s when you start hearing more the sound. I think it’s a matter of the umpire to say, If you want to grunt, grunt, but there’s also a limit to everything.”
Sabalenka is not alone in attracting negativity around her grunting, with Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal among the high-profile male player who also make a loud noise when they strike the ball.
Maria Sharapova was often criticised for her grunting/shouting when she hit the ball and many players have tested the interference rules with their audible levels in recent years.
The volume of Sabalenka’s verbal tirade seems to fire up as matches get tight, with her insistence on yelling even when she hits gentle shots hard to justify and it makes it hard to watch her matches both inside stadiums and for TV viewers.
The reigning Australian Open champion won’t halt her habit unless she is forced to by the WTA Tour and wider tennis chiefs, but this ugly facet of the game needs to be addressed before viewers start to turn off tennis matches.
