Why tennis players grunt after Victoria Azarenka defends herself at Wimbledon

Wimbledon and grunting go together like strawberries and sunburn.

Criticism of players' decibel levels is nothing new but the focus does tend to be on the women.

Back in 1992, Martina Navratilova complained to the umpire about the high-pitched screams of Monica Seles but it couldn't stop the younger woman winning the match.

Seles tried to tone it down in the final but was promptly thrashed 6-2 6-1 by Steffi Graf.

Victoria Azarenka is from Belarus and was knocked out of Wimbledon by Serena Williams

That might explain why renowned grunter Victoria Azarenka got frustrated in the press conference after her quarter-final defeat to Serena Williams this week.

She'd just lost a high-quality three setter but spent most of the time batting away questions about her noise levels.

"I'm tired of these questions," she said.

"It's annoying as guys grunt. I was practising next to Nadal and he grunts louder than me and nobody noticed it. Look at the good stuff."

So are the women unfairly targeted? Does grunting serve a purpose on court? And should it be outlawed?

Lucie Ahl is a former British number one who is now responsible for looking after up and coming homegrown talent.

She reckons it's old news.

"It's past it, we had a lot a few years ago with Michelle Larcher De Brito who was louder than any of the likes of Maria Sharapova or Victoria Azarenka - who says Rafa is louder than her anyway. If you ask any of their opponents, they'll tell you it doesn't put them off."

Breathe out!

Young tennis players are generally taught to breathe out while hitting a shot. When you're hitting as hard as the professionals do, that breath can turn into a loud grunt.

"As the point goes on and players put more effort in their volume can go up," Ahl explains.

It's a personal thing and is just because of the intensity of the moment.

"I certainly don't think any players do it intentionally to put their opponents off."

But what about people watching at home? Ahl has some sympathy.

"I know some spectators can't stand it if they're watching TV but it's a difficult one to stop.

"It's just because of the intensity of the on-court moment.

"I have to say I don't tell the young players I work with to be quiet. That said, none of my players are particularly loud."

So why are female players targeted by the media more than their male counterparts?

Lucy reckons it's a simple case of physiology. Men make a deeper noise.

"It's the high-pitched screech that people struggle with, men never get picked on because of the different sound.

"There are a lot of male players who are loud, so perhaps women are getting unfairly targeted.

"If women started grunting with a deeper voice they would be able to get away with it and come in under the radar."

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