A Grunt Is No Stunt on the Tennis Court
Published at
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images(LINCOLN, Neb.) — Does grunting serve a purpose on the tennis court other than to psych out one’s opponent?
Maria Sharapova is one of the loudest grunters in the game, making guttural sounds described as loud as a chain saw. Granted, she is one of the hardest hitters in tennis, but Sharapova also seems to be helping her serve by grunting, a University of Nebraska study speculates.
In fact, when players on the University of Nebraska college tennis team grunted, scientists discovered the ball speed picked up by 3.8 percent. They explained the upper body becomes more stable during grunts, which enables a player to transfer more power to the arm.
The extra velocity is particularly helpful because it gives opponents less time to set up their return shots.
The researchers also noted that improvement was almost instantaneous when grunting was added to the college players’ game, suggesting that people with lesser tennis skills might also benefit from a loud grunt.
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio