06.15.09 TENNIS CRACKDOWN COMING…HEH, ‘COMING’

As The All England Club prepares to host Wimbledon in July, rumors are swirling over a potential crackdown on the grunting from some of the female players, who had been the subject of complaints during last month’s French Open. From the Daily Mail (via GameOn):

[N]ew proposals to make noise hindrance part of the International Tennis Federation’s code of conduct [mean that] grunters could potentially forfeit a whole game or match.

One of the loudest offenders is Maria Sharapova, who at 101 decibels is almost as loud as a lion’s 110 decibel roar.

In last month’s French open, Aravane Rezai complained to the umpire about the noise emitting from 16-year-old player Michelle Larcher de Brito.

As the rules stand now, an umpire can award a point to a player if distracted by a grunt. Which is poppycock. I, personally, like to hear the person on the other end grunting, and as loud as possible. Only a woman would get annoyed over that sort of thing. It doesn’t help that Wimbledon is traditionally the stuffiest of the four tennis majors. Next year, these women might be forced to play in ankle skirts and heels. The heels, I could get behind…