Tennis grunting: A full minute of Maria Sharapova grunts, the battle of the grunters and more

Tennis Fun

Shahida Jacobs
April 6, 2020

It’s quiet in the world of sport so we have decided to lighten up the mood with some tennis grunting sounds from the likes of Maria Sharapova, Monica Seles and a few other women’s players.

Grunting has always been a hot topic in tennis and many believe Seles pioneered grunting, but it actually goes further back as Jimmy Connors was also one of the great grunters of our time.

But if we are honest, nine-time Grand Slam winner Seles was something special.

Here she is discussing her infamous grunting on Wall Street Journal.

Many believe Sharapova took the grunting business to the next level.

When previously asked about grunting, the Russian had this to say: “Either you do it, or you don’t. But you shouldn’t think about it.”

Now here is one minute of the Russian at her best when it comes to making loud noises. Enjoy!

Back at Wimbledon 2013, grunter extraordinaire Sharapova met her match when she took on Portuguese qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito at SW19.

The match became known as the battle of the grunters as their screams hit record levels.

Guinnessworldrecords.com reports that Sharapova’s grunts reached 103 decibels, but she was outdone by the 16-year-old Larcher de Brito who reached 109 db.

Yahoo Sports went with the headline “Larcher de Brito screams right past Sharapova in major Wimbledon upset”.

And here is Larcher de Brito during qualifying at the Indian Wells Masters a few years ago.

Yep, still grunting pretty loudly.

Up and coming grunter Aryna Sabalenka during her Australian Open clash against Ashleigh Barty in 2018.

Then there was 2011 when grunting hit record levels at Wimbledon and ABC News poked fun at the Brits.

Finally, Tennis Now has a compiled some of the best – or is it worst? – grunts in tennis history, including male players, but it probably needs updating.