A tennis grunting ban by the Women's Tennis Association, the governing body for the sport, is backed by Maria Sharapova, arguably one of the largest offenders of grunting on the tennis court.
Sharapova's screams have been measured at more than 101 decibels -- comparable to sound volumes created by a chainsaw, a pneumatic drill or a speeding train.
"Bottom line is the right answer has been taken by the tour," Sharapova told Reuters.
"I started grunting since whenever I can remember," she continued. "I see videos of myself and I've grunted for that long. Nobody told me to do it in Russia or in Florida. It's just a natural habit."
Grunting was in headlines again this year after Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, also a hearty grunter, and Sharapova both won grand slam titles. Nine-time Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova called grunting "cheating, pure and simple."
"The information going towards coaches and academies that are developing talent from a young age is teaching them a certain breathing technique," said Sharapova.
Sharapova and other expressive athletes won't be subject to the ban, as it's being implemented at the youth level and being phased in over the next few years.
"When you start something from a young age and continue it, it's a habit--whether you do grunt or don't grunt," said Sharapova.
"The WTA created a plan. That's the smart way to go about it, rather than like taking someone's forehand and grip in the middle of their career and telling them to change it."
The BBC, broadcaster of the Wimbledon Championships, supports the ban as well.
"It is a shame, and some of our audience clearly don't like that," said Barbara Slater, director of sport at the BBC, when asked about excessive grunting by some players during tennis matches.
"You want to see women athletes achieving the very highest standards of play," she said. "That is something that the governing bodies have got to work with the players on, wanting to be respectful of those players' desire to play the game to their very maximum. But equally, I think it's very important both for the crowd and the TV audiences that it doesn't become too distracting."
A noise limit will be established, and all umpires will have "grunt-o-meters" to measure how loud a player is shrieking.
Check out some of Sharapova's best grunts, along with a few from Venus Williams, below.
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