tennis

Evert: Grunting getting out of hand

Published Jun. 30, 2009 7:47 a.m. ET

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Chris Evert has some advice for today's women's tennis stars: Shut up already.




"Grunting is one thing," Evert, 54, told reporters in Sydney, Australia, on Monday, "but the shrill sound that you hear with players nowadays, and especially they get louder when they hit a winner, that's the thing that I observe as a player."

While she didn't agree with her contemporary, Martina Navratilova, that grunting should be considered cheating, Evert said the practice is becoming insufferable.

"I think the grunts are getting louder and more shrill now with the current players," Evert said.

The former world No. 1 said the shrieks coming from many of today's players throw their opponents off guard, "and then before you know, the ball gets past you.

"Steffi Graf hit the ball a ton and she didn't grunt. There were a lot of players, hard-hitting players, and you never heard a peep out of them. "

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