Hear Me Roar

Ian Ritchie, head of the All England Lawn and Tennis Club, which hosts the Championships at Wimbledon, said expressive female athletes are “spoiling the game.”

Ritchie seems to think a lady should be seen and not heard. Even a lady with a 129 mph serve.

From the rather comical interview in the UK’s “The Daily Telegraph”:

The loudest known grunt came from Maria Sharapova, who sent the sound monitor into new realms with a recording of 105 decibels in 2009.

Mr Ritchie added: “I think there is an education problem with younger players. And certainly my postbag, if you say ‘what do you get most letters about’, I would say that grunting is high up.

“So we are aware, whether you are watching it on TV or here, people don’t particularly like it.”

This has been a topic of “debate” in professional tennis for years, mostly in reference to famous female grunters like Sharapova and Serena Williams. In martial arts classes (I’ve been taught this in krav maga), this “education problem” is common sense. A grunt/noise/scream/whatever momentarily distracts your opponent, engages your entire body in an action and gives you more power. (In a self-defense scenario, it also draws attention to the fact that you might need help.) And it’s silly to think a professional tennis player, who has been practicing for such competitions her entire life would be so easily distracted by a mere noise.

This isn’t about the players’ comfort.

There’s this handy little button on most TV remotes, which Ritchie should be familiar with as a former TV station exec. It says “mute,” and it allows him and his more sensitive television audience members to shush powerful, athletic women from the comfort of their armchairs, without sounding quite so passé and sexist.