Serena Williams reveals tennis legend was inspiration for her 'grunting' on court
Serena Williams is one of many tennis players to have grunted while playing and she has now revealed the reason behind the noise and the benefits it gave her on the court
Tennis icon Serena Williams has revealed her inspiration for her iconic 'grunt' during a recent appearance on Hot Ones. The American discussed the impact Monica Seles had on her career, before revealing the benefit of such noises.
Two years after her retirement, Williams sat down to stra inin the Youtube show Hot Wings - a format where famous personalities eat hot sauce-slathered wings while responding to progressively challenging questions.
Host Sean Evans probed into the tennis world's characteristic 'grunt', and asked if enforced silence would impact Williams' gameplay. Revealing that the start of her grunt was influenced by nine-times Grand Slam victor Monica Seles, Williams also explained the strategic aspect of the sound serving as a respiration aid during high-stake points.
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"So I grunt because growing up, I liked this tennis player named Monica Seles and she grunts, she had this really cool grunt," uttered Williams. "And I loved that, I was like that's so cool and so I would literally grunt because of her and then it just became natural."
"I guess it's a form of breathing. I grunt playing golf now. It's like a part of my life. Other people, I don't know why, they say it's like reliving and exhaling air and it's a different way to exhale air."
Williams then quipped that she might even grunt when chomping down on one of the spicy wings. Williams tackled the notorious 'Da Bomb Beyond Insanity' wing with surprising ease, despite its eye-watering 135,600 Scoville heat levela sauce known for reducing countless celebrities to tears.
The tennis icon was visibly challenged by the fiery kick of the sauce, standing up and frantically fanning her mouth with a napkin, gulping milk, and sucking on ice cubes in an attempt to soothe the burn before bravely facing the next question. She soldiered on through the Peppers Up sauce, which boasts a scorching 700,000 Scoville rating, but drew the line at the Last Dab Xperience with its blistering 2,693,000 Scoville intensity.
In September 2022, Williams signalled the end of an era, announcing her departure from professional tennis following the season's final major tournament, the US Open. Her illustrious career boasts an impressive haul of 73 titles, including 23 Grand Slam crowns and an Olympic gold medal.
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