Victoria Azarenka’s grunting has already annoyed Wimbledon fans
They don’t call Victoria Azarenka, “the Soviet Screamer” for nothing. In her first match at Wimbledon, Azarenka annoyed fans with what British fans described as “warbling”.
She started quite low down the scale, went up an octave and finished with a whinny. Occasionally there was a little shriek, followed by a sigh…
But we also timed her on a stopwatch – and logged a remarkable best of 1.72 seconds, putting her firmly in screech-owl territory.
‘I cannot change it,’ she explained recently. ‘It’s what helps me play.’
And her tennis? Oh yes, the tennis. She was comfortably ahead of Magdalena Rybarikova when rain stopped play. The Slovakian was never really in with a shout.
VIDEOS: Women Tennis Grunts Over The Years
If you’re not familiar with Azarenka’s grunting, well then, you’re in luck. Here are some examples.
Up close and personal…
At the 2010 French Open…
Arguably the loudest match in tennis history against Maria Sharapova
Azarenka’s decibel level pales in comparison to that of Maria Sharapova. But what she lacks in pure grunting force, she more than makes up with in length.
And hey, I don’t know about you, but that last clip made something move in my nether regions.


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