You could be an avid tennis fan who streams tour matches on a random Tuesday in March. Or, you could be someone who doesn’t know who Roger Federer is. But one thing becomes obvious the moment you watch a tennis match: Tennis players are loud.
If you’ve ever watched a match and wondered why on earth players make such strange, dramatic noises when they hit the ball, you’re not alone.
And if you’ve somehow never experienced the thrill and noise of a competitive tennis match, consider yourself officially forewarned.
A tennis grunt comes in many varieties — kind of like different dog barks. There are the deep “WAAA-eys” (usually courtesy of clay-court grinders). High-pitched squeals. Yogi-like exhales. And occasionally, screeches that make you glance at the remote to make sure you didn’t accidentally switch from Tennis Channel to Animal Planet (a phenomenon best understood by watching highlights from Belarusian pro Victoria Azarenka).
No other sport quite matches the soundtrack of tennis.
Weightlifters let out noise during a maximum-effort deadlift. Soccer players might grunt while making a decisive shot on goal. But you don’t hear a baseball batter screeching through a home run swing, or a golfer audibly exhaling mid-putt. The very thought feels absurd.
Tennis players, meanwhile, do it on nearly every shot.
For a sport wrapped in country-club tradition — pristine whites at Wimbledon, quiet spectators, polite applause between points — the contrast feels all the more striking.
Is it exaggerated? Sometimes.
Necessary? Arguably.
Strategic? At times (again, just ask Azarenka).
Tennis grunting is the butt of many jokes, especially from people who aren’t spending their afternoons practicing their groundstrokes or watching Novak Djokovic highlights like thrillers (yes, I absolutely do that). It’s prime meme material.
But here’s the part that often gets lost in the jokes: Grunting actually helps you play better.
Just ask Florida women’s tennis associate head coach Axel Damiens, who emphasizes its importance for both performance and stress release.
“I think it’s very important,” Damiens said. “The exit velocity of the ball of a player grunting compared to a player not grunting is faster. It's a way of breathing out, instead of keeping it inside and getting a little more stressed and tighter. It's a way of exerting air and creating power and force. So yeah, I'm big on it.”
Amid the high-pressure environment of college tennis, where matches can swing on a single point, finding ways to stay loose and execute in tight moments is essential.
Sports science research backs up Damiens’ perspective. Multiple studies show grunting can enhance hitting performance. Collegiate tennis players were found to hit with significantly increased groundstrokes and serve velocity when they grunted.
Andy Murray, former world No. 1 tennis player, has explained why he grunted while playing.
“I think one of the worst things you can do when you play tennis is holding your breath,” he said. “That's why some coaches encourage grunting or breathing when you are hitting the ball, to help with looseness and less tension.”
From personal experience, I notice an immediate difference in my game and mindset when I’m grunting compared with when I’m not. My shots feel freer. My breath stays steadier during long rallies. My body feels more grounded and synced to each swing instead of tense and rushed. It’s less about making noise and more about releasing it.
And honestly? It’s more fun to watch, too. The sound adds personality to the match. You can hear the effort and the split-second release of tension as players go for bigger shots in major moments.
Of course, some players take it to extremes. But most players aren’t trying to intentionally distract their opponent. When levels of play are so close and matches hinge on only a handful of shots, every advantage matters.
Sometimes, you just need to turn up the volume.
Contact India Houghton at ihoughton@alligator.org. Follow her on X @indiahoughton16.
India Houghton is a graduate student studying Business Management and a member of the UF women’s tennis team. She is the sports opinion columnist for The Alligator. A Northern California native, India completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University in Science, Technology and Society, competing for the Cardinal women’s tennis team. She enjoys playing the piano, taking ice baths, and rooting for her hometown 49ers.
