Comments on: Get it Right: Grunting & Hindrance

By: Reading the Readers: Feb. 7 | Sport News

Reading the Readers: Feb. 7 | Sport News — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 01:44:26 +0000

[...] whether umpires can call grunting that goes on into the opponent’s shot a hindrance. If this piece is correct, then as the rules stand, umpires can’t call it a [...]

By: topspinner

topspinner — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 01:06:51 +0000

“Any noise which BEGINS when the ball is in the opponent’s court can be treated as hindrance; a grunt begins when a player is paying their own shot.” There is nothing in the rule that stipulates when the noise “begins” or “ends”. So what you said is only ONE interpretation of the rule. Granted, your interpretation is close to the current practice by the umpires, but it’s still only an interpretation. The letter of the “law” does not preclude other possible interpretations.

Players such as Navratilova and Chris Evert clearly felt their play was impeded by the grunt of the opponent (Monica Seles). If there are enough players to feel the same way, the rules can easily be interpreted to treating grunt as a hindrance.

By: unseededandlooming

unseededandlooming — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 22:10:39 +0000

The rules are edited and rewritten every year for clarity.

Oh, and don’t just knock the women. Educate yourself and google Marcel Granollers.

By: Robert Schreep

Robert Schreep — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 22:06:07 +0000

and that’s fine. But it is turning off a large segment of the fan base and the USTA should be about promoting the sport, or do you disagree? Besides, rules can be changed. Do you think God handed a tablet to Rene LaCoste with all the “rules”? No one anticipated this kind of “gamesmanship” when the rules were written.
No one really cares about your “explanation”….what they want is for these FEW women to stop making so much noise.

By: unseededandlooming

unseededandlooming — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 21:53:27 +0000

You’re entitled to your opinion but whether it’s “grunting”, “shrieking” or whatever you want to call it, it’s still not hindrance and not breaking the rules as they’re written. That’s what I’ve explained here and what people need to be aware of.

By: Robert Schreep

Robert Schreep — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 04:36:11 +0000

Well, that may be a solid explanation of “grunting” but “shrieking” (actually, almost “singing” the way Sharapova and Asarenka do it) to me is a completely different animal.
I, nor do I think anybody else, minds the grunting that comes with full-out exertion. But the sound that lasts for two or three seconds until RIGHT BEFORE the opposing player hits is just plain wrong and it is ignorant. If the USTA is interested in promoting the sport (increasing TV viewership, for example) it needs to put a stop to it somehow. And if the court-side microphones are amplifying the issue for the TV audience, as you say, why don’t they correct this? It can’t be that difficult of an engineering feet!
I, for one, who has loved women’s tennis for decades, will turn my TV off when one of these “shriekers” is playing. Yes, it is THAT annoying. I am sure I am not alone. And, just because the rulebook says that if the noise began “when” the player hit the ball and not “after” the player hit the ball, that doesn’t mean the rule is right and that it isn’t being abused. Why is it that these screeches continue until JUST BEFORE their opponent hits the ball, but they cut off instantly when they drive a shot into the net. You cannot seriously tell me that they have no control over it.
Look, it is bogus gamesmanship (like calling an injury timeout because you are out of breath – (see:the Asarenka v. Stephens match in the Australian this year) and just plain cheating – in my rulebook.

By: yogahz

yogahz — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:41:39 +0000

Thanks for this explanation of what is a hindrance.

It also irks me when commentators (and the players) act like the calling of a foot fault is objectively up to the official.

By: Evren Akbelen

Evren Akbelen — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:59:00 +0000

excellent article! i for one love watching the grunters play. I find they are always the most exciting to watch. It’s funny how no one mentions the mens grunting, i assume simply because they are not as loud as the womens. Rafa and Novak do it frequently. As for the fans being apparently “put off” for the grunting, why does a Sharapova match get a sell out crowd? Why did millions of people watch the US Open womens final last yr (between two famous grunters)? Why is Sharapova the most widely searched female athlete in the world if people are so “put off” by her? I reckon there are a few people who complain of the grunting, and the media grab that and run and make a big deal out of it, when the facts clearly show millions of people watch these grunters, and these grunters is what is paying their paycheck. without these high profile players (who grunt), there would be a poor turnout, poor tv viewers, means charging less money on advertising, means less of a paycheck for the commentators.
i say go the grunters!

By: Adam

Adam — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 01:05:31 +0000

Excellent, passionate write-up of the reality of the situation. How umpires get vilified by players, journalists and fans alike for doing their job is extremely frustrating and also largely why they often don’t feel comfortable applying some of the rules as they should e.g. the time violation issue.

By: "Bark or Bite?": A Defense of Bojana Jovanovski — TennisGrandstand

"Bark or Bite?": A Defense of Bojana Jovanovski — TennisGrandstand — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:24:24 +0000

[...] by visibly disgusted commentators (for more on grunting and the hindrance rule, I refer you to unseededandlooming’s comprehensive take on the matter). But as bizarre as Jovanovski’s grunt sounds, it is still a grunt at its very [...]