Fines for over-shrieking

prairiegirl

prairiegirl

Hall of Fame
I tried to watch the Sharapova match and then the Halep match. Unwatchable! The shrieking and yelling was so over the top I had to turn them off. Why is the WTA not doing something about this? This is becoming utterly ridiculous. I'm convinced some players are doing it just to unnerve their opponents and make themselves sound more powerful and aggressive. The WTA needs to step in. I think the ATP as well. I watch someone like Roger Federer and he hits as hard as anyone but I don't hear any screaming or shrieking. The same with most male players. It seems to be more problematic on the women's tour; although I might be wrong about that.

Any thoughts on how to get this under control?
 
reaper said:
Is it any different to the men's? There's plenty of "shrieking" there as well. FWIW I think they should stamp it out, on both tours.
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Yes, it is different. There are men who grunt annoyingly, but the women do it much more and louder. Both tours should stamp it out. It's already a niche sport that's struggling for relevance and you don't need to make people switch the channel over something silly.
 
Nadal's grunting is also annoying, I’m used to it now but I remember when I used to mute the TV when watching Nadal because it irritated me so much.

WTA grunting is a million times worse though.
 
reaper said:
Is it any different to the men's? There's plenty of "shrieking" there as well. FWIW I think they should stamp it out, on both tours.
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It's heaps different. Far less Men shriek/grunt, and those who do, shriek/grunt noticably quieter. Put on Masha vs Mug right now and try and tell me that they are at the same vocal level as men lol.

The main difference I think is that most men's vocals are significantly deeper and less drawn out, which makes them less offensive to the ear than the higher-pitched and drawn out WTA vocals.
 
Idk why I tried to watch Sharapova vs Muguruza , may b because I was bored of waiting for Nadal vs Diego . I watched 1st point on Sharapova serve, definitely a scream not a grunt, took some bravery to watch/hear, then watched 2nd point on her serve . This took all of my bravery. Now all that is left is a Coward who can't turn on her match.

I would know that I have done grave Sins if I ever purchase a ticket for Federer and I get to watch Sharapova before him. I will loose all my faith in God and Federer

EloQuent said:
The prevailing feeling among reporters and such seems to be that if it bothers you, you must be a misogynist. So I don't end up watching much WTA.
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New Society Rules:confused:
 
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EloQuent said:
Yes, it is different. There are men who grunt annoyingly, but the women do it much more and louder. Both tours should stamp it out. It's already a niche sport that's struggling for relevance and you don't need to make people switch the channel over something silly.
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It's interesting the way it can creep down the ranks. I played a guy at my local club last week who I've been playing against for years. Out of nowhere he's started doing the Ferrer grunt, where you hit the ball, then a second or so later grunt/exhale, just as it's coming to your opponent. The first couple of times I thought there must be a problem, until I worked out what the noise was. The timing distracts from lining up your shot and in that sense it's a hindrance.
 
Great responses here. Yes, I find Sharapova to be one of the worst, although Serena and Simona are also terrible to watch. Glad to see Sharapova losing her match. Not a fan. Never have been. As a woman, I feel it's ok to say that it's far more present with women players. The question is, why doesn't the WTA step in and do something? As a writer, maybe I should!
 
reaper said:
Is it any different to the men's? There's plenty of "shrieking" there as well. FWIW I think they should stamp it out, on both tours.
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To me, the men don't seem to obviously fake it as much.
Some of the women scream on drop shots lmfao. Meanwhile Fed hits blistering forehands and one of the greatest first serves of all time in total silence.

Also the men that do grunt are lower-pitched and never annoy me, whether or not they're faking it too, which they probably are sometimes. Unlikely that's only a women's thing
 
agreed Sharapova is unwatchable registering 101 decibels, apparently Michelle Larcher De Brito is the heir apparent.

 
Cenarius said:
Not the same.Women's scream/yell are much more annoying to most people.
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There was an incident in a match Robin Haase played earlier this year where he grunted extremely loudly after hitting a shot, to mock his opponent who was doing the same thing after every shot. Absurdly, the umpire penalised him for a hindrance because he did it deliberately (as though his opponent's vocalising was accidental). To me if you're allowed to vocalise other than involuntarily through exertion, then you should be allowed to make any noise at any moment. That includes shouting as a distraction as your opponent is lining up a shot....or just ban the whole practice of grunting other than through unusual exertion.
 
paranoidandroid said:
Nadal's grunting is also annoying, I’m used to it now but I remember when I used to mute the TV when watching Nadal because it irritated me so much.

WTA grunting is a million times worse though.
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I've never had a problem with men's grunting but it's at least understandable for Nadal since he puts more work on the ball than just about anyone
 
ADuck said:
I've never had a problem with men's grunting but it's at least understandable for Nadal since he puts more work on the ball than just about anyone
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That's the other thing
For all the screaming Pova does on every shot, she's basically hitting flat compared to Nads.

Then Roger actually hits with a ton of spin too (obv not as much as Rafa), and he's silent.
 
Just watching the Sharapova/Muguruza match. The solution isn't difficult if it's something they want to solve. Just place a decibel limit on it...one that applies across the board irrespective of gender.
 
Firstservingman said:
That's the other thing
For all the screaming Pova does on every shot, she's basically hitting flat compared to Nads.

Then Roger actually hits with a ton of spin too (obv not as much as Rafa), and he's silent.
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Also I was thinking if anyone should grunt more shouldn't it be the men since their upper body is bigger in proportion to their lower body compared with women? Men need to expend more effort than women do.
 
EloQuent said:
The prevailing feeling among reporters and such seems to be that if it bothers you, you must be a misogynist. So I don't end up watching much WTA.
Click to expand...
If that makes me a migogynist then I'm off finding a new term for actual misogyny and once that sticks I'll wear it like a badge of honor when I get called one.
 
reaper said:
Just watching the Sharapova/Muguruza match. The solution isn't difficult if it's something they want to solve. Just place a decibel limit on it...one that applies across the board irrespective of gender.
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Not a chance. If they can't enforce a 25 second limit per serve how are they going to enforce a decibel limit :p

25 years ago Seles got criticized for being too loud. Now it's just standard procedure. "Evolution" of tennis.

 
ADuck said:
Also I was thinking if anyone should grunt more shouldn't it be the men since their upper body is bigger in proportion to their lower body compared with women? Men need to expend more effort than women do.
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How do you draw the conclusion that because someone's upper body is bigger they expend more effort? Isn't it reasonable to assume that all professional players on occasion are at maximum effort?
 
George Turner said:
Not a chance. If they can't enforce a 25 second limit per serve how are they going to enforce a decibel limit :p

25 years ago Seles got criticized for being too loud. Now it's just standard procedure. "Evolution" of tennis.

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The decibel limit is actually easier in that there are less extraneous variables. For example, with the time limit, what if the previous rally is 100 shots, is there an extension? What if you're the server and your opponent has what appears to be a nasty fall? Can you check their condition, or must you be ready to serve within the allotted time? What if the crowd is doing the Mexican wave? Does that provide reason to delay serving? Change of balls? Can a player change racquets, even though that may push them over the time? Broken string, disputed line call, illness in the crowd, conjecture over possible rain delay. There are all kinds of circumstances which can push time out which subjectively might be legitimate. With the decibel range there's some subjectivity, but overall it's not terribly difficult to enforce.
 
Agreed grunting generally is annoying. Not a fan of Rafa’s grunting either, but at least you can give him a pass on account of how much action he puts on the ball, and the physicality of his game.

That said, Verdasco GOATrunt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
reaper said:
How do you draw the conclusion that because someone's upper body is bigger they expend more effort? Isn't it reasonable to assume that all professional players on occasion are at maximum effort?
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Both sexes are obviously doing their best, but I assumed men expending 100% effort would be more tiring than a woman expending 100% effort. At least any work involving arms/chest
 
reaper said:
How do you draw the conclusion that because someone's upper body is bigger they expend more effort? Isn't it reasonable to assume that all professional players on occasion are at maximum effort?
Click to expand...

Farting through the mouth doesn't require logic (or brain): this is scientifically established fact from my research on the behaviour of many vamosalaplayans.

8-)
 
ADuck said:
Both sexes are obviously doing their best, but I assumed men expending 100% effort would be more tiring than a woman expending 100% effort. At least any work involving arms/chest
Click to expand...

100% exertion doesn't take a greater toll on someone who's strong than someone who's relatively weak.
 
reaper said:
The decibel limit is actually easier in that there are less extraneous variables. For example, with the time limit, what if the previous rally is 100 shots, is there an extension? What if you're the server and your opponent has what appears to be a nasty fall? Can you check their condition, or must you be ready to serve within the allotted time? What if the crowd is doing the Mexican wave? Does that provide reason to delay serving? Change of balls? Can a player change racquets, even though that may push them over the time? Broken string, disputed line call, illness in the crowd, conjecture over possible rain delay. There are all kinds of circumstances which can push time out which subjectively might be legitimate. With the decibel range there's some subjectivity, but overall it's not terribly difficult to enforce.
Click to expand...

Can say the same for a decibel limit though, that there are variables. Should a Nadal topspin forehand have the same upper limit as a Fedr slice? What if the player is tired? What if they go "over the limit" when hitting a winner at the end of a punishing 50 shot rally?

Umpires should use common sense when applying the rules, like it's common sense to know Sharapova is constantly screaming to disrupt the opponent, no one naturally makes that sound when hitting a tennis ball. If anyone at your local club did that they'd be ridiculed, it's common decency not to behave like that on a tennis court.

That's the trouble with professional sport, people want to win at any cost so "common decency" goes out the window.
 
EloQuent said:
It's already a niche sport that's struggling for relevance and you don't need to make people switch the channel over something silly.
Click to expand...

A niche sport that's struggling for relevance – really!?

By most indicators, tennis is considered the biggest individual sport in the world. It's also one of the most global sports full stop. What's a non-niche sport by this standard – soccer, maybe cricket, handegg, basketball, but hey, they're all predominantly enjoyed in a limited amount of countries, so they must be niches too. If we're specifically talking about women's sports, then tennis is not just the biggest individual sport but the biggest sport full stop.
 
George Turner said:
Can say the same for a decibel limit though, that there are variables. Should a Nadal topspin forehand have the same upper limit as a Fedr slice? What if the player is tired? What if they go "over the limit" when hitting a winner at the end of a punishing 50 shot rally?

Umpires should use common sense when applying the rules, like it's common sense to know Sharapova is constantly screaming to disrupt the opponent, no one naturally makes that sound when hitting a tennis ball. If anyone at your local club did that they'd be ridiculed, it's common decency not to behave like that on a tennis court.

That's the trouble with professional sport, people want to win at any cost so "common decency" goes out the window.
Click to expand...

This basically comes down to what's the aim of the rule. To me it is to cut out grunting/shrieking as something that players do for no valid reason on every shot. As a matter of exertion when a player is doing something at their limit they will grunt. So you set the limit high enough so that it allows for what would naturally occur in a tennis match. The need to enforce it only arises if you've got a player who's grunting every shot and testing the limit in the process. If someone at the end of a 50 shot rally does a triple somersault diving winner hit at 400 miles per hour, but they go over the decibel limit you don't check it. If someone's playing every shot of a 50 shot rally right on the decibel limit, you start checking it. There will always be grey areas between what I've described, but that just makes for healthy controversy.
 
It's funniest where you have a neck and neck contest with one person doing it, and the other being silent. It's currently happening on Lenglen with Halep making this awful noise every time she hits the ball, and Kerber just quietly getting on with her business, and the whole thing is too funny to bear.
 
reaper said:
This basically comes down to what's the aim of the rule. To me it is to cut out grunting/shrieking as something that players do for no valid reason on every shot. As a matter of exertion when a player is doing something at their limit they will grunt. So you set the limit high enough so that it allows for what would naturally occur in a tennis match. The need to enforce it only arises if you've got a player who's grunting every shot and testing the limit in the process. If someone at the end of a 50 shot rally does a triple somersault diving winner hit at 400 miles per hour, but they go over the decibel limit you don't check it. If someone's playing every shot of a 50 shot rally right on the decibel limit, you start checking it. There will always be grey areas between what I've described, but that just makes for healthy controversy.
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It is much simpler than that, actually.

If the shriek continues with the same intensity after the ball has crossed the net, the player that shrieks loses the point.

If the player shrieks when executing finesse shot that doesn't require maximum exertion, the player in question loses the point.

8-)
 
Tennis_Hands said:
Farting through the mouth doesn't require logic (or brain): this is scientifically established fact from my research on the behaviour of many vamosalaplayans.

:cool:
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Lmao, I didn't see this post. Looks like you really are pressed about something I did to you (Like hurt your ego). Hahaha. And turns out you're wrong here again.
 
ADuck said:
Both sexes are obviously doing their best, but I assumed men expending 100% effort would be more tiring than a woman expending 100% effort. At least any work involving arms/chest
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Halep is cheating by surgically removing the extra weight on her chest so that she can hit just as hard if not harder for less effort.
ADuck said:
http://www.health.com/fitness/women-outperform-men-fitness-fatigue
This article seems to say so.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/s...-university-of-british-columbia-a7911776.html
Another.
Seems to confirm my thoughts. Havent done any research beyond that though.
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Great, now we definitely need to get the WTA to play BO5 slams.
 
Bender said:
Halep is cheating by surgically removing the extra weight on her chest so that she can hit just as hard if not harder for less effort.
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Lol, but that's actually partly why she did it didn't she? It's a little different from what I was trying to say though.
 
George Turner said:
Not a chance. If they can't enforce a 25 second limit per serve how are they going to enforce a decibel limit :p

25 years ago Seles got criticized for being too loud. Now it's just standard procedure. "Evolution" of tennis.

Click to expand...

Nice video !
I even remember that during Wimbledon 92, she got criticized a lot and the organisation asked her to be quiet during the final, which she lost. It seems that nowadays, her coach would tell her to shriek louder !
 
Tennis_Hands said:
It is much simpler than that, actually.

If the shriek continues with the same intensity after the ball has crossed the net, the player that shrieks loses the point.

If the player shrieks when executing finesse shot that doesn't require maximum exertion, the player in question loses the point.

:cool:
Click to expand...

Good stuff but I would go one step further on both your scenarios.

Scenario 1 - player loses a game.

Scenario 2 - player loses 3 games.
 
prairiegirl said:
I tried to watch the Sharapova match and then the Halep match. Unwatchable! The shrieking and yelling was so over the top I had to turn them off. Why is the WTA not doing something about this? This is becoming utterly ridiculous. I'm convinced some players are doing it just to unnerve their opponents and make themselves sound more powerful and aggressive. The WTA needs to step in. I think the ATP as well. I watch someone like Roger Federer and he hits as hard as anyone but I don't hear any screaming or shrieking. The same with most male players. It seems to be more problematic on the women's tour; although I might be wrong about that.

Any thoughts on how to get this under control?
Click to expand...
same issue with the nadal (its over-the-top grunting are absolutely unbearabull), although muting it still wouldn't resolve many other issues.
(banning it would be the easiest solution, of course, for the benefit of the whole universe)
 
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