Maria Sharapova reveals her throat hurts ‘all the time’ from grunting as she plays shots on court
- Maria Sharapova’s grunt has become synonymous throughout her tennis career
- She came onto the scene as a teenager and has won five grand-slam titles
- But she admits grunting on court has caused her to have pain in her throat
- Her last game was a straight-sets loss against Serena Williams in the US Open
Maria Sharapova says years of grunting as she hits shots on court has caused her to have constant throat pain.
The 32-year-old’s tennis grunt is distinctive for her watching fans and helps her maintain her consistency, with the Russian star winning five grand-slams throughout her career.
She won Wimbledon in 2004 when she was just 17 and dominated the women’s game for long spells as she swept home the US Open in 2006 before clinching the Australian Open in 2008.
Maria Sharapova fires a backhand across court against Pauline Parmentier at Wimbledon 2019
Many tennis players persist with a grunt as they play their shots and hit serves to release energy and master their timing to ensure they keep their rhythm.
But while Sharapova has enjoyed many successes throughout her career, her shrieks on court have come at a cost, as she is now left with pain in her throat.
‘From all that grunting even my throat hurts,’ she told Tennis World.
‘I have done that since I was a young girl and just kind of stayed with me.
‘My throat hurts all the time after I play matches.’
Sharapova has not played since August, when she was overpowered 6-1, 6-1 by Serena Williams in the US Open.