“You enter a club and immediately knew Sharapova was playing,” Patrick Mouratoglou likens Carlos Alcaraz to Rafael Nadal and Victoria Azarenka to Maria Sharapova as he discusses grunting on court
The tennis coach explained the psychological effect grunting has on opponent players.
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L-R: Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz and Maria Sharapova; In circle: Patrick Mouratoglou (Images via Imago)
Grunting in tennis is a common phenomenon. Many greats of the game have done it and many are still doing it. Among many, there are a few players whose grunts are really famous and Maria Sharapova tops the list. The Russian tennis star had probably the loudest grunt and hence she got an honorable mention when Patrick Mouratoglou recently explained why tennis players grunt.
The renowned tennis coach talked about this common phenomenon and explained the reason behind it. Mouratoglou claimed that it happens because players breathe incorrectly and grunting helps them breathe well while they play.
He then went on to mention a few names who were known for their grunts. The Frenchman named Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, and Sharapova among the famous grunters. Mouratoglou also explained what effect it creates on the opponents.
It has a lot of advantages and one of them is that if you are the only one grunting and your opponent doesn't grunt, we hear only you on the court. It kind of puts some print on the match and it's a lot of pressure for the opponent. When you grunt, you give your opponent the impression that the ball is gonna go fast.Patrick Mouratoglou on the advantages of grunting in tennis via Instagram
He then cited Sharapova’s example to explain how grunting affects the crowd. Mouratoglou highlighted that when the Russian played, anyone entering the club would immediately know that Sharapova was playing.
Historically, there have been players who have been specialists of grunting. Carlos Alcaraz is grunting alot now, Rafa is grunting a lot on clay too. But most famous of all was Sharapova because of how loud she was. I mean you were entering the club and you knew Sharapova was playing, immediately.Patrick Mouratoglou explained
Patrick Mouratoglou draws parallel between Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka
The renowned tennis coach then went on to draw a parallel between Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka. Patrick Mouratoglou claimed that the Belarusian player is grunting as loud as Sharapova. He also talked about the rules around grunting and what are his opinions.
Now, Azarenka is grunting in a way that is close to Sharapova. You can grunt the moment you hit the ball...I think players should not be allowed to grunt after the ball gets out of their racket. End of the story.Patrick Mouratoglou said
It is worth mentioning that the International Tennis Federation (ITF) states that excessive grunting is a hindrance and can result in a point penalty. The WTA rules state that grunting is a continual distraction of regular play and that a player can be docked a point for it.
Last year, the US Open introduced a rule change that allowed players to ask for a video review if they felt any hindrance due to noise.
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Ritesh Pathak
(2150 Articles Published)