9-Year-Old Tennis Girl Banned for Grunting

2/27/2008

9-year-old Lauryn Edwards has been banned from her tennis club for grunting. An opposing player complained about Edwards's grunts, and she was then banned. Edwards looks up to Russian star player Maria Sharapova, whose grunts have caused controversy.

Edwards, who has been playing tennis since she was 4, said: "It feels natural to do my noise. I'm not faking it. It makes me play better. When I don't do it, I don't play my best tennis. And now people have told me I can't play if I do it."

The tennis club told her father, Duncan, that if he guaranteed she'd stop grunting, she would be allowed back on the court. His reply was, What do they want me to do? Put Band-Aids over her mouth? They made her cry on the court when they told her."

Source: sports.espn.go.com

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