Long sleeves and leggings courtesy Islam. Thanks a lot, <i>sharia</i>!” title=”Long sleeves and leggings courtesy Islam. Thanks a lot, <i>sharia</i>!” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-41″ /><p>You know, I appreciate all the grunting and screaming that comes with tennis.  Monica Seles and Maria Sharapova made the sport not just something to watch, but also something worth listening to.  And now today comes news that not only is Qatar <a href=covering up our lovely Maria, but a club in Australia has banned on-court grunting as well, resulting in the ban of a nine-year-old girl.  From Tasmania via Lion in Oil:

Lauryn Edwards was told at the weekend that she could no longer play her favourite sport after a complaint by an opposition player…

Lauryn, who has attention deficit disorder, has been playing tennis since the age of four, after it was recommended by her school psychologist at Sunbury Primary to burn energy and keep her focused. Dubbed Lauryn Sharapova by an old coach, she said she played better when grunting. "It feels natural to do my noise. I'm not faking it," Lauryn said.

You know, I tried to avoid this story.  I really did.  You can't just give me a story about a female tennis player and grunting and expect me to behave responsibly, regardless of her age.  And yet here I am, getting red-flagged by the "To Catch a Predator" staff while Chris Hansen puts the finishing touches on my dossier.