Aryna Sabalenka is enjoying her time on the WTA Tour right now, but could need to change a few things if Caroline Wozniacki has her way…
The world number one won a Grand Slam and two WTA 1000 titles this year, as she continues to dominate women’s tennis.
She’s also qualified for the final of the WTA Finals, where she’ll take on Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
However, not everyone is a fan of the way she goes about her business on court, with several players complaining about her extended grunts over the years.
Former Australian Open champion Wozniacki has now proposed a rule change about grunts that could trouble Sabalenka.
Caroline Wozniacki thinks there should be a rule against loud and extended grunts
Appearing as a guest on the ‘Nothing Major’ podcast, Wozniacki suggested a new rule that she believes should be introduced on the WTA Tour.
“I think there should be a mic and there should be a decibel thing, so that you can’t grunt over a certain level,” she said.
“I think that should be a rule. And also the length of the grunt. I think that would be great.
“I know sometimes that it helps you, but I think that should be a rule. The younger generation then could start off just being a bit more quiet.”
The Dane proceeded to explain why grunting can affect the player on the other side of the court.
“I was never a big grunter. I never made a lot of sounds when I was playing, so I think sometimes it could throw you off,” said Wozniacki.
“You can’t hear someone hit the ball properly when someone is screaming so loudly.
“So I think that it really disturbs the opponent in some way, and I think as a fan you don’t really want to listen to that either.”
Sabalenka is certainly one of the more notorious ‘grunters’ on tour, but has anyone complained about the Belarusian because of it?
What Aryna Sabalenka’s rivals have said about her grunting
Back at Wimbledon in 2023, Ons Jabeur took on Sabalenka for a place in the final.
After securing the win in three sets, Jabeur had this to say about Sabalenka’s grunting during her post-match press conference.
“She was screaming for both of us, I guess,” she said.
“I couldn’t even scream with her. It’s tough.
“I mean, that’s the thing about playing Aryna [Sabalenka]. She’s there. You know she’s there.”
Not everyone is affected, however, as Coco Gauff claimed she wasn’t bothered by the Belarusian’s grunting after their match at the 2024 Australian Open.
“I don’t notice. It doesn’t bother me because it’s consistent,” said Gauff.
“If she did it extended on certain balls, then I would be like, okay, it’s ridiculous.
“I think that’s just her. It’s fine. There have been other grunters in the past. It doesn’t bother me.”
Current players don’t seem to be too bothered, but several former pros have weighed in on the discussion over the years.
Back in 2018, former doubles number one Pam Shriver gave her verdict on Sabalenka’s grunting.
“Sabalenka has 347 different sounding grunts,” said Shriver.
“What a talent.”
Also commenting, Australian tennis legend Todd Woodbridge called for the WTA Tour to take action against Sabalenka.
“Nice player, Sabalenka, but something needs to be done about her noise and grunting on court,” he said.
Their comments came during Sabalenka’s first-round defeat to home favorite Ashleigh Barty at the 2018 Australian Open.
Sabalenka’s grunts were particularly noticeable during the match, leading the fans on Rod Laver Arena to mimic her.
Barty was unimpressed by the crowd’s actions, as she, like Gauff six years later, seemed fine with her opponent.
“A lot of players grunt. A lot of players don’t grunt. It’s just the way they are, the way they play,” she said after the match.
“For me, it wasn’t a distraction. It wasn’t anything like that. It was just part and parcel. I knew it was coming.”
It doesn’t sound like there are any too many of Sabalenka’s rivals complaining about her, so it seems unlikely that Wozniacki’s rule will be implemented any time soon…
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