Grunting has consistently been one of the most debated issues throughout the course of tennis history.
On the women’s side, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka are recognised as two of the most ‘iconic’ grunters the sport has witnessed.
On the men’s side, Rafael Nadal, Gustavo Kuerten, and Novak Djokovic have all been known for their grunting.
Sir Andy Murray, a two-time Wimbledon champion who was also partial to a ‘grunt’ during his career, has weighed in on the issue.
Sir Andy Murray says holding your breath is ‘one of the worst things you can do’ when playing tennis
Andy Murray, an icon of British tennis, recently appeared on The Romesh Ranganathan Show, where he discussed everything from his career regrets to his dislike for match-play.
The Brit, who finished as the year-end world number one once during his career after winning the 2016 ATP Finals, also discussed the topic of ‘grunting.’
“I think one of the worst things you can do when you play tennis is holding your breath,” Murray told Ranganathan.
“When you are tight and tense, that is what you generally would do, and that’s why some coaches encourage grunting or breathing when you are hitting the ball, to help with looseness and less tension.
“That’s why I did it.”
Grunt or no grunt, Murray will be remembered as one of the greatest players in ATP history, and perhaps the greatest British player to grace the professional tennis circuit.
Murray, described by Jack Draper as a ‘big brother,’ won three Grand Slam titles during his career, and two Olympic gold medals.
In fact, Murray is the only player to have won two Olympic gold medals [male or female.]
The Brit also spent 41 weeks as the world number one and was the finalist at eight Grand Slam tournaments.
Chris Evert said grunting is ‘distracting’
Chris Evert, an 18-time Grand Slam champion, discussed the issue of grunting in 2009, describing the exhale of breath as ‘distracting.’
Evert, who won seven French Open titles during her career, noted the success of Steffi Graf, who did not grunt when she hit the ball.
Graf is considered one of the greatest players in history, having won 23 Grand Slam titles.
As reported by The Independent, Evert said: “The next time you watch Maria Sharapova, the grunting is consistent but when she has a set-up to hit a winner the grunting gets louder and that’s a bit distracting to me because basically you’re hearing a loud grunt before you see the shot.
“It doesn’t come while they hit the shot, it comes before they hit the shot so that’s the first thing you hear and you’re kind of thrown off guard and then before you know it the ball gets past you.
“That’s the thing that I observe as a player… it comes before they hit the shot and they get louder when they hit the winner.
“I don’t know how you measure it or what you do but as a player – and I was known for my concentration – it is distracting.”
“I don’t understand. They say you’ve got to blow air out before you hit the ball and I’m thinking ‘well, Steffi Graf hit the ball a ton and she didn’t grunt.
“There were a lot of players who were hard-hitting players that you never heard a peep out of, so I don’t understand the philosophy of it.
“I wouldn’t go that far (to say it’s cheating) but I think the grunts are getting louder and more shrill now with the current players.”
Evert, who won six US Open titles, remains a great of the sport. The American was particularly dominant on clay, winning six titles at the French Open and going unbeaten for 125 matches on the surface between 1973 and 1979.
