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Girl, 9, banned from tennis club for grunting too loudly
Last updated at 01:07am on 27.02.08Nine-year-old tennis fan Lauryn Edwards modelled every aspect of her tennis game on her idol Maria Sharapova, from her powerful serve to her deadly forehand.
Unfortunately for opponents at her club in Adelaide, Australia, Lauryn also managed to pick up one of Sharapova's least desirable traits - her ear-splitting grunt as she hits every shot.
Now her grunting has led to her being banned from playing at her local tennis club, after her opponents complained it put them off.
Herr father has described the ban as pathetic and said his daughter's grunting was nowhere near Sharapova's level and had been exaggerated.
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Lauryn Edwards says grunting helps her play better tennis, but her local club have banned her from making a noise while playing
"It's pretty slight and now and again she hits it hard and makes a loud noise and that's it," he said.
"From just one comment, this has all blown up stupidly.
"There's no rule against it, so they've made a rule against it."
Lauryn, who has attention deficit disorder, has been playing tennis since the age of four, after it was recommended by her school psychologist at Sunbury Primary to burn energy and keep her focused.
Nicknamed Lauryn Sharapova by an old coach, she said she played better when grunting.
"It feels natural to do my noise. I'm not faking it," Lauryn said.
"It makes me play better. When I don't do it, I don't play my best tennis.
"And now people have told me I can't play if I do it."
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Sharapova's noisy squeals and grunts as she plays tennis have led to complaints that she puts her opponent off
Mr Edwards said the club had asked him to make sure Lauryn would remain silent on the court.
"They told me to guarantee she won't grunt or she can't play," he said.
"How can I guarantee that? She's been doing it since she was really little. She's her own person.
"What do they want me to do? Put Band-Aids over her mouth? They made her cry on the court when they told her.
"She was in such a state that I had to bring her home mid-match."
Maria Sharapova's infamous grunt has led to numerous opponents complaining that it is putting them off their game.
Once measured at an ear-splitting 75 decibels, louder than a power drill, her increasingly noisy squeals were mocked by the crowd at a recent Fed Cup match earlier this month.
Reader views (4)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
I think before anyone comments they should know that my daughter Lauryn, does not grunt very loud - it has been blown out of proportion. If its precocious of a 9 year old to grunt that's obviously why English tennis is doing so poorly at the moment - encourage all children to play with a style that belongs to them. Lauryn did not learn how to grunt from Sharapova, she did it herself. Although she is here in Australia, Lauryn is English and hopes to represent the UK one day, shame she can't even get support from her own country.
- Duncan Edwards, sunbury australia
I have been practising martial arts for nearly eight years and expelling sound when exerting energy is extremely important and always encouraged. It is the same with boxers when they punch, or weightlifters lifting weight at competitions, or any other sports where sudden, explosive energy is required. After all, sound IS a form of energy, and the act of quickly exhaling facilitates the transmission of physical energy. Has anyone try swinging the baseball bat while inhaling?
It is stupid to prohibit the girl to play because she makes noise. I can understand it would be distracting, and bad form if she suddenly makes noise while her opponent is trying to serve. Otherwise, there is nothing wrong with making sound while exerting. And for those exert no more energy than to stuff their faces with food: they can keep chewing with their mouths shut.
- Ryan, NYC, U.S.
Sharapova is not the worst offender when it comes to grunting, that honour belongs to Monica Seles in my opinion. I just cannot watch players that insist on making it sound like they've just had their arm ripped off every time they hit the ball. It detracts from the game no matter how good the play.
- Tim, Canada
For heaven's sake just tell your darling daughter to stop grunting or go somewhere where they don't care about it. I think it's extremely precocious of a nine year to grunt anyway.
- Isabel, Woking, England
