After all the shouting, No. 1 is at stake

MELBOURNE, Australia

There is every chance the women’s final on Saturday night at the Australian Open here at Melbourne Park will be a high-quality contest of great intensity between two attractive players of differing experience.

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As an added bonus, Maria Sharapova — who reached No. 1 in the world in August 2005 before injury struck — and Victoria Azarenka — currently No. 3 — will be vying for that top ranking, with the winner taking over from Caroline Wozniacki, who will drop to No. 4 on Monday.

So it’s all set up for a perfect end to the women’s event in the year’s first Grand Slam, right? Not quite. This matchup already is being billed as the Grunter’s Final or a duel between the Scream Sisters. The Guardian, a media organization based in London, assigned a writer to examine the situation, and the story received more than 100 comments on the website, mainly ignoring the writer’s advice to “Get over it!”

The fact is that Sharapova and Azarenka produce two of the highest-pitched squeaks amongst the squeaking fraternity. Many people find it very difficult to endure, either when they are at the stadium or at home watching on TV. Others point out that the men grunt as well but elicit fewer complaints because their grunts are baritone rather than soprano. Others call that distinction sexist.

One of the problems for those wishing to eradicate the noise is the lack of peer pressure. Agnieszka Radwanska, the Polish player who lost to Azarenka in the quarterfinals here, said she thought her opponent’s grunting was “too loud.”

But Radwanska is in the minority. Numerous players have been asked about it over the past several years, and the vast majority say they are concentrating so hard that it doesn’t bother them. This is not helpful to those who wish to lower the decibel level because there is nothing like nasty looks and catty comments in the locker room to deal with a problem.

So what is going to be done? The Women’s Tennis Association is, finally, on the case. One source has told me, “We are far advanced in looking into the situation from where we were six months ago. We have been to the Bollettieri camp — where Sharapova and some other grunters started their careers — and the coaches there insist they do not teach players to grunt. We will continue to discuss it with all parties in the game in the coming weeks and intend to come up with some kind of conclusion at a meeting during the Sony Ericsson in Miami in March.”

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The WTA has no intention, for the time being at least, of telling any of its players to stop grunting. The possibility, however, of making a rule for juniors is very much on the table and, from what I hear, is something that could come into force sooner rather than later.

Former Australian touring pro Ray Ruffels, who worked for the US Tennis Association at its training headquarters near Los Angeles for many years, has witnessed a sinister development. “Some of the juniors are using it as a deliberate ploy to put off their opponents,” Ruffels said. “They let out a scream after they have hit the ball so it impacts just as the other player is making contact. That has got to be stopped.”

Ruffels, who is now back home working for Tennis Australia, thinks the whole thing is unnecessary. “It’s an affectation,” he said.

With or without ear plugs, it still should be possible to enjoy this final between two players whose ambitions spring from different sources. Sharapova, who lost a year out of her career with a shoulder injury in 2008-09, is overjoyed to be back in the final of a tournament she won in 2008. She has said that she enjoys nothing more than the satisfaction that comes from winning a tough match and receiving the acclaim of the crowd. But she refuses to acknowledge that her popularity level would be that much higher if she played a quieter game.

Azarenka, who is just as stubborn over the grunting issue, is only two years younger than Sharapova at 22, but is way behind her in achievement. The Belarussian, who trained for many years in Arizona before setting up a home in Monaco, will be appearing in her first Grand Slam final (Sharapova has won three) with a semifinal appearance at Wimbledon last year as her best previous showing at this level.

Sharapova’s experience should give her an edge, coupled with the fact that she is hitting the ball as well as at any time since her surgery. But Azarenka will cling to the memory of two decisive wins over Maria in 2010 and last year — first in the final at Stanford, where she won 6-4, 6-1, and then in the final at Miami, where she was a 6-1, 6-4 winner. Since then, they have only played once, in Rome last May, when Victoria had to retire injured in the second set.

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It was, however, there at the Foro Italico where Sharapova won the biggest title since her comeback and one of the few she ever has claimed on red clay, a surface on which she never felt most comfortable. That gave her confidence a huge boost and heralded her return as a full force in the game.

Sharapova, whose patience wears a little thin when asked the same questions, opted out of a pre-match news conference Friday. But Azarenka agreed and probably wishes she hadn’t. She also showed little patience with the inevitable topics of conversation.

“Oh, my God, every, every press conference. Can you surprise me sometimes with a different question?” That was her response to a query about a screamers’ final. Pressed again about why it is such a popular topic, she replied, “I guess some people are just bored. They created the machine that can measure it. So, I mean, money well spent, huh?”

A sarcastic thumbs-up sign accompanied that answer.

Asked whether she heard Maria’s screams, she said, “Well, I’m not deaf. Of course I hear her. I’m sure she hears me. And about another 15,000 people hear us, maybe even further away. Yeah, I mean it doesn’t bother me. As I said, I respect every opponent. Whatever they do, they try to do their best job. I think that’s fair enough.”

We will wait to see who has the final grunt with interest.