Victoria Azarenka isn’t about to stop her loud noises during tennis matches and says any opponent who might try to blame it for losing are “weak people.”
The top-ranked Belarusian makes a high-pitched noise when she hits the ball, drawing increased criticism during her run to the Australian Open title with some fans even mimicking her at Rod Laver Arena.
The issue has attracted the attention of the WTA, which plans to look at ways of reducing the noise levels made by players.
On a 17-match winning streak after claiming the Qatar Open on Sunday, Azarenka says the hooting comes naturally.
She says anyone blaming a loss on her “grunting or whatever, you know, it’s up to them. I think they’re just weak people.”