WHY DO women tennis players make such a loud grunt every time they hit the ball? If the act of hitting a ball is so difficult for them, perhaps they should stick to more ladylike pastimes such as knitting or dressmaking.
It is purely a deliberately distracting and intimidating ploy. It should have been stopped in its very early stages by umpires penalising players for "unsportsmanlike conduct". It's probably too late now; it has got out of hand but it only needs someone to have a word in the locker room along the lines of, "You try that with me, missy and I'll rip your eyes out."
I seem to remember Connors / McEnroe had a similar conversation several years ago.
A lot of them are trained in Florida. Apparently, the coaches there encourage the grunting on some strange basis that it gives a feeling of strength to the player. The habit has become almost universal. Don't know why, if it brings such benefits, the men don't do it !
The most erotic way for a woman to hit a ball is with a barely audible thrust of breath as she hits the ball - a la Gabriella Sabatini - who also cornered the market on making perspiration look sexy!
Sorry Kiki - I'm OK now, I have a rub-down with a damp copy of BT Today, and I have stood by an open window for ten minutes, and the rushing noise in my ears has stopped, and my vision is clearing as I type ...