The 5 worst grunters in tennis

Wimbledon Betting / Dan Fitch / 25 May 2011 /

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Peter Ustinov has been spared.

Dan Fitch takes a look at the tennis stars who just can't play the game quietly.

Tennis is a tough enough game to play without being distracted, so spare a thought for anyone who has had to face the noisiest characters in the sport.

Here are the five worst grunters in tennis.

5. Jimmy Connors

Tennis grunting may be thought of as a female pursuit, but the Godfather of the Grunt was Jimmy Connors. Others would eclipse him in terms of decibels in later years, but Connors was the pioneer of the art of making a funny noise while simultaneously hitting a tennis ball.

4. The Williams Sisters

Having one grunter at the other side of the net is bad enough, but two is really difficult to cope with. When the Williams sisters play together in double matches, Venus provides a solid if unremarkable high-pitched shriek and Serena emits a low guttural groan that makes us slightly scared.

3. Monica Seles

Once the reigning monarch of tennis screamers, Monica Seles' grunts attracted a lot of attention for sounding a bit rude. Even Peter Ustinov felt compelled to comment, stating: "I'd hate to be next door to her on her wedding night." Seles remains unmarried.

2. Michelle Larcher de Brito

A young pretender to the grunting throne is the 18-year old Portuguese pro Michelle Larcher de Brito, whose noisy net-play has caused a lot of controversy. On being labelled as unsportsmanlike, Larcher de Brito said: "I could (stop grunting), but, you know, it won't feel natural, because it feels like something is missing in my game if I just stop." In case you're wondering, the thing that will be missing is the sound of an animal that has been caught in a mantrap and is being tortured with a red-hot poker.

1. Maria Sharapova

The cream of the screamers is Maria Sharapova, who screeches 'whoooooa' every time she hits the ball, in a manner somewhat reminiscent of the wrestling legend Rick Flair. In the following match in Australia her cries left the crowd in hysterics and even prompted one spectator to tell her to 'shut up'. Her opponents wish she would.

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