Evert Wants Grunting Stopped

Written by: Staff on 15th February 2012

Evert Wants Grunting Stopped

Former champion Martina Navratilova on Centre Court for the women's singles final between Maria Sharapova of Russia (L) and Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 02 July 2011. EPA/KERIM OKTEN |

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Chris Evert has joined the campaign to stop grunting from causing noise pollution to women’s tennis.

Evert’s great rival Martina Navratilova made an outspoken attack against the grunters in tennis when receiving the Philippe Chatrier Award at the International Tennis Federation’s World Champions’ Dinner during the French Open a couple of years ago and now the American has followed suit.

Interviewed in Great Britain’s The Times newspaper, Evert replied to a question about grunting by saying: “I’d like not to hear it.”

And the winner of 16 major titles offered the immediate method to stamp out the trend that is becoming more and more prevalent in young female contestants. “If a player shows up, plays one point and says, ‘Can I have the referee because it is a hindrance,’ it would stop,” said Evert.

“ I had a habit where, if my first serve went in, I would drop the second ball back along the ground and Billie Jean King said if I did it again, she’d stop play because it was rolling in her line of sight. I did it, she stopped play and complained and that started the ball tucked in the pants. Someone’s got to put the heat on.”

Although Evert has returned to the television commentary booth, joining the ESPN team for both last year’s US Open and last month’s Australian Open, she is not overly enamored for the current playing style.

“I like to see finesse, hands being used,” she said. “It’s boring to me to see them clubbing from the baseline. I had all the shots, but we didn’t have the power in our day.

“We lobbed, we used the drop shot, short angles and then we’d hit deeper, it’s almost like with the technology, the women haven’t caught up yet because the men have all the cute shots, right?”

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