Tennis Grunting Ban Backed by Maria Sharapova

If you've ever watched a heated women's tennis match then you might have heard the loud and distracting grunting by the players.

Now the Women's Tennis Association is looking to ban the noise, but they're not the only ones supporting the change.

Tennis star Maria Sharapova has the WTA's back, according to Reuters on Monday.

"Bottom line is the right answer has been taken by the tour," said Sharapova.

The grunting has been shown to be a large distraction for the audience and the players and Sharapova has been one of the biggest offenders. She admits: "I started grunting since whenever I can remember. 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."

Another player supporting the decision is Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova who says the noise is "cheating, pure and simple."

There has been a lot of debate on and off the court on the issue of grunting. While the WTA is backing the decision to silence the players, other athletes say the yelling makes them feel more powerful and helps them to focus while playing. It's also been used strategically as some coaches, such as Nick Bollettieri, who've taught the grunting technique as a means to distract an opponent.

The Women's Tennis Association is looking toward the future of the sport as for when if ever it will implement the change while current players are looking to have the rule put in place as soon as possible.

The method that is being planned to catch the grunts is by using detectors on the court that can measure their decibels, but there's no way yet on how to manage the system.