Sure, the Hills are very much alive with the ‘sound of music’ as Julie Andrews' character belts at the top of her lungs.
There are a myriad of sounds that carry differently throughout the court depending on acoustics. In some instances, one could argue that a tennis match sounds like an impromptu symphony in the making. Let’s first discuss grunts. On the whole, while it is somewhat difficult to measure decibel-wise, grunts are more prevalent on the women’s tour in today’s game. Specialists on the matter have been quoted as saying the actual timing of the grunt assists in the rhythm of the actual striking of the ball. This seems believable, but what about players who seemingly bring out the grunts in match play and seldom make even a peep (or an audible exhale) while on the practice court. Although I’ve never watched Monica Seles practice to verify what she grunts like when the stakes are lower (practices count way less than match play, obviously), I have seen her play live many times either on TV or live in-person. You can really hear her roar live like nothing else during matches, and I suspect she makes the same intense face and corresponding grunt whenever she strikes the ball. Regardless of how she sounds, Monica was regarded throughout her career as one of the most well-liked tennis players; I’d imagine that even if he grunt among contemporaries were the loudest, people overlooked that feature and instead respected Monica for the gracious competitor she had been for decades.
Another aficionado as well as pioneer of the grunting “game” on the women’s side? No surprise here: Maria Sharapova! I’m unsure whether anyone’s every asked her who her inspiration for grunting like that was, but it sure as heck did not come out of nowhere. Someone should step up to the plate and lay claim to molding Sharapova’s grunt into what many view as the most notorious grunt of all time. Interestingly though, Sharapova avoids grunting audibly during practice sessions, which always seemed interesting. If you’re executing patterns in practice with the sole purpose of utilizing said skills in future matchplay, why wouldn’t a pro tennis player do everything in their practices as if they were real matches? That’s some food for thought. Another thought that’s run through my mind from time to time: Why do women grunt way louder than men during intense moments in matches? The answer could be a “just because”, and that’s totally fine; but, I do also wonder what the statistics are pertaining to wins and losses and the correlation between that and grunting real loud. And just in case you’re wondering about my personal grunt, I’m a shy girl at some times, outgoing in others (makes me a true Gemini); the grunt happens naturally at unplanned moments in time - it happens when it happens! There are far worse things than having a loud grunt, which I’m sure we can all agreed on.