by Alistair Mason, PA Sport , PA Newswire: Sport News

The build-up starts with the French Open , wondering whether whichever random clay-court slugger has impressed this year will make it past the first round at SW19.

Then there's Queen's, which, if you half close your eyes, you can almost imagine is Wimbledon itself. Perhaps the champion there (Andy Murray this year) will be able to topple Roger Federer.

Add to this anticipation the unique Wimbledon intangibles: strawberries and cream, the face-painted patriots on Henman Hill, Mark Kermode randomly interrupting Five Live's coverage with his curmudgeonly film reviews... these are the things I look forward to.

But every year, there's something my mind chooses to forget: a certain noise pollution which fouls the air nearly every time two talented women take to the court.

It's the horrible, unseemly whine of people complaining about the female players grunting.

Are there not bigger, more important things to focus on?

This year it is Portuguese teenager Michelle Larcher De Brito who has taken over from Maria Sharapova as the squealing pantomime villain of the piece.

Yes, her noises are unusual, but if this is what helps her get the best out of herself, what's the harm?

The idea that it is cheating is frankly nonsense. If anything it gives a losing player something to latch onto and complain about in post-match bitterness.

If a player is worried more about the noises coming out an opponent's mouth than the shots pinging off her racket, she is surely halfway to defeating herself.

The issue is nothing but another excuse not to take the female players seriously as athletes.

Remember the nonsensical kerfuffle over Tatiana Golovin's red pants a few years back?

The constant implications that the results of matches between the Williams are fixed before the pair set foot on court?

The disgust among the old guard when women were finally, and deservedly, given equal pay?

People should get their minds off these non-issues and focus on the Tennis.

Perhaps, though, therein lies part of the problem.

There has been something of a dearth of talent in the game since the disappointing retirement of Justine Henin.

Just ask Serena Williams what she thinks of current world number one Dinara Safina.

And there's no question that having a number one player without a grand slam title to her name is indicative of something of a slump in the women's game.

It is cyclical, of course. It wasn't so long ago everyone was saying they preferred to watch women's Tennis because big servers like Pete Sampras and Goran Ivanisevic were taking rallies out of the men's game.

It won't be long before there are female stars to rival Nadal, Federer and Murray.

Hopefully then people will lose interest in grunts - and start talking about Tennis.

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