How Loud Is Aryna Sabalenka’s Grunt? Controversial Flashback Proves How She Might Irk the Australian Open Fans Again

When it comes to tennis, Aryna Sabalenka is slowly and steadily starting to create her own legacy. Having come up through the ranks, the 25-year-old tennis player is proving herself impossible to deal with. Currently playing in the Australian Open, she managed to make her way into the finals of the tournament yet again after coming in as the defending champion. While her gameplay is already the talk of the town, one thing that people have also associated her is with the loud grunting that she does.

That being said, there is always a question that has been struck in people’s minds: how loud can Aryna Sabalenka grunt? Also after her controversial grunt at the Australian Open a few years back, could the same be witnessed yet again today?

How loud is Aryna Sabalenka’s grunt?

Coming into the Australian Open as a 19-year-old, Aryna Sabalenka faced home favorite Ashleigh Barty. In a  match that was completely dominated by the Australian sensation, what stole the show was the loud grunts from the Belarusian star. In a match that ended 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 in favor of the Aussie international, it was Sabalenka who was centered by the fans and was mocked for her grunts. Her grunt at that night was recorded somewhere close to 90 dB (Decibel).

At one point during the match, even the chair umpire had to request the fans to not scream. “Ladies and Gentlemen please, during the rally, do not scream,” the umpire said. In a recent analysis, it was found out that she grunts on 100% of the serves that she does during the matches and around 95% during her shots as well.

What the fans might now be thinking is if the same could be seen as what they saw back in 2018. While Sabalenka is known to produce some of the best matches in tennis, her grunting could be a major concern for the fans. The fans will be hoping that she just normally plays her matches without too much grunting.

Also read: ‘She’s an Emotional Person’- Aryna Sabalenka’s Team-Mate Reveals Ingenious Tactic That Propelled Her to Australian Open Glory

While her grunting became the main talking point of the match, different people cam in and offered their opinions on the same.

What do people think of Sabalenka’s grunting during her match?

After the match was over and Barty progressed to the second round, it was obvious that shots would certainly be fired at Sabalenka and the same happened. First came Nicole Pratt, the head of women’s tennis Australia to suggest that the Belarusian player heavily relies on the sound of the ball coming off the racket.

“The player does rely on the sound of the ball coming off the racket,” she told local media. “And probably more the issue is when players grunt or scream for an extended period of time because then that is impeding on your hitting time and hitting space. There is a bit of an issue when it does get extended.”

Todd Woodbridge on the other end also came ahead and suggested that the grunting is a slight problem. “Nice player #Sabalenka but something needs to b done about her noise and grunting on court!!!!,” said Woodbridge.

While everyone was going against her, WTA came ahead and talked in her favour while suggesting that it was just a normal part of the game and nothing much. “Grunting is a natural part of the game; there is a correlation between breathing, a forceful exhale and power,” it said. “Excessive grunting doesn’t seem to be an issue that affects players, but we’re aware of how some fans react to it.

Thus, Aryna Sabalenka has been the talk of the town when it comes to grunting. While her fans would be eagerly waiting for a dominant performance on the court, they would not want these loud grunts on the courts.

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