Sports : life magnified

from BBC Wimbledon Blog

Wimbledon referee Alan Mills, speaking on BBC Radio Four’s Today programme
I think grunting spoils the spectacle of the game, certainly for television viewers and also, you know, for spectators here. I personally would love the players to stop doing it.

I’m not sure whether it is necessary or not, but I know with Maria (Sharapova), she is saying that she started grunting or screaming when she was four-years-old and she actually hates herself when she watches it on television.

Sharapova says her grunting is involuntary according to this article . So it is indeed out of her control. So should it be allowed or what should be done regarding it? The player facing Sharapova with her atleast 4 different grunts can ofcourse lose focus. Looking at recent tennis history, Monica Seles used to grunt a lot too.

Comparing the grunts Seles’ grunts are a mere shadow of the power that is Sharapova’s screamers. The grunts are okay till they dont affect the concentration of the opponent. If the grunts continue when the opponent is about to hit the point, it is likely to affect the shot making. So even though it is involuntary, it should be made sure the other player is not affected. In other words, I feel Sharapova should modify this aspect of her game, reduce it perhaps before a tennis player objects to it with media decibels and causes unnecessary chaos in womens tennis.

For Sharapova is brand tennis herself. Any damage on Sharapova is a damage on the tennis industry.