Grunts

I just finished watching a tennis match between Maria S and a new comer (well she wasn't exactly a new comer, she was ranked number 30). Really good match--in fact there was an upset. Did you watch it Phats?

Last year sometime, I think it was Connie that posed the question could grunting during a tennis match be considered a form of cheating. Today, after hearing the players grunt, I was quite annoyed. The sound made me lose my concentration and I wasn't even playing. I was watching while doing some other stuff around the house. It really was a horrid sound, so much so that I turned the volume down on the television so I wouldn't have to endure it anymore.

I commented on Connie's blog that sometimes the grunts came from exerting some effort to hit the ball and sometimes from exhaustion. However, it seemed that some of the players were grunting even while serving or returning the ball. This I found peculiar. I have never played a tennis player of the championship caliber. I did play in high school and had even won the regionals one year. This level of competition isn't however the same as say world renowned playing level. So if I grunted back then it was only to keep myself from cursing.

So I now pose Connie's question to you--do you think the grunting is a form of strategy or just from mere exhaustion.