It's been a factor that I'm reminded of again as we're in the middle of the Australian Open, kicking off the Grand Slam season for 2015. I always enjoy watching some tennis from down under. It's also easy to get jealous and want to jump ship on the frozen tundra when you see the players out in the sweltering summer heat.
Anyway, back to the screaming. It's a problem in women's tennis. A couple of the biggest culprits that come to mind are Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka. I'll throw Serena Williams in there, too. There's too much screaming - and yes, shrieking - during a lot of matches.
Now, I'm all for defending players in the middle of a 7-5, 6-7, 4-3 grueling match, or a long five-setter on the men's side. A long match, you just got done with a long rally, so you scream or grunt with each stroke. OK, that's a little more understandable.
What's not OK is using screaming as a strategy in your match.
I don't think it's that far of a reach to say this is being done. It seems obvious when players like Serena, for example, are close-lipped if they're down in a match, only to start shrieking up a storm when they're in control and winning. That has to be pretty distracting to opponents.
I had a friend tell me via Twitter that he played a match against a kid who screamed, like the pros. That's a scary tidbit for where this sport is going. It makes sense, too. Kids look up to the professional players in whatever sport they enjoy. If those pros are allowed to scream during games, why wouldn't kids try that when they're also trying to smack the ball like their idols?
ESPN tennis analyst Brad Gilbert said something interesting during the Australian Open coverage about the issue. He mentioned that if he were a player facing a screaming opponent, he'd refuse to play. He also thinks official action needs to be taken against screamers in the game.
Nothing ever gets done then us talking about it, they need to regulate screamers in the juniors, Ist and foremost that would be a start
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) January 26, 2015
I asked Patrick Reusse his thoughts on the tennis screaming after he Tweeted something about one of Sharapova's matches. His response drew a bunch of favorites and retweets of support from Twitter users.
If my wife hears it from next room, she accuses me of watching Cinemax. @hlrule: Thoughts on screaming in tennis? Maria is the queen.
— Patrick Reusse (@1500ESPN_Reusse) January 21, 2015
Humor aside, I'd really like to run with Gilbert's idea of keeping the screaming players in check somehow through regulations.Thanks a lot, Monica Seles.
Before you watch a Sharapova v Azarenka match, either take some ibu's or mute the TV. The only solution that comes to mind is to put a decibel sensor on top of the empire tent. When the sensor goes up above a certain level, a point is lost. Do you know how they have a home run contest before an MLB All-Star game. You can have a contest to see who can screech the loudest before a Slam. jk.
ReplyDeleteGreat suggestions on how to watch matches with either of those players. I love your other ideas, too! I wish they'd do something to make a change. Thanks for reading!
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