Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova react strongly to suggestions that they should tone down their grunting. The two will meet in the Australian Open final on Saturday night with the No. 1 ranking at stake.
Azarenka was unsure why the issue has come again when she has been playing full-time on tour for the past six years and Sharapova has been on the WTA since 2003. Australian host broadcaster Channel 7 has been using a grunto-meter to detect the volume of their screams.
"I guess some people are just bored. They created that machine that can measure it. So I mean, money well spent, huh?" Azarenka said while holding two thumbs up in the air.
The issue is old hat to Sharapova, but she was surprised that No. 8 Agnieszka Radwanska said that her grunting bothered her, while the Pole’s friend Azarenka didn’t.
"I've heard it a few times over my career," Sharapova said. "You've watched me grow up, you've watched me play tennis. I've been the same over the course of my career. No one important enough has told me to change or do something different."
Azarenka did admit that when she and Sharapova play each other that she is aware of her rival’s grunting. The two have split six matches.
"I'm not deaf," she said. "Of course I hear her. I'm sure she hears me. And about another 15,000 people hear us maybe even further away It doesn't bother me. I respect every opponent. Whatever they do, they try to do their best job. I think that's fair enough."—Matt Cronin