“I said to the umpire, he doesn’t tell Maria Sharapova to keep quiet" - When 16-year-old Michelle Larcher de Brito courted controversy at French Open
Michelle Larcher de Brito courted controversy due to a 'shrieking saga' at the French Open 2009. The Portuguese star used Maria Sharapova as her defense in a controversy that dominated the headlines throughout the summer.
The-then 16-year-old was participating at the French Open for the first time, however, her dream third-round tie soon turned into a nightmare, as the Portuguese was booed off the court by the Parisian crowd.
Michelle Larcher de Brito lost to Aravane Rezai at French Open 2009
De Brito faced Aravane Rezai in the third round of the French Open in what turned out to be a controversial clash. The Portuguese constantly grunted during the points, to the point where Rezai complained about it to the chair umpire.
“Please, there is a limit, enough,” Rezai complained to the chair umpire.
Despite Rezai's complaints, the chair umpire could not stop De Brito from grunting during the points and the Iranian-French asked for the match referee to intervene. The referee had a chat with the chair umpire before informing De Brito that she was distracting the opponent.
De Brito was booed by the crowd throughout the match in what turned into a hostile atmosphere in Paris.
The Portuguese ended up losing the match 7-6 (3), 6-2 but it was the grunting drama during the match, that dominated the headlines. At the post-match press conference, De Brito made it clear that she didn't like the referee's involvement during the match and compared her situation to Maria Sharapova.
Sharapova has been well-known for grunting during her matches but had never been summoned by the referee.
“I’ve been doing it ever since I started playing tennis. I said to the umpire, you know, he doesn’t tell Maria to keep quiet,” De Brito said.
Martina Navratilova compared grunting with cheating
Tennis icon Martina Navratilova did not hold back during her assessment of the grunting drama at the French Open 2009.
After the De Brito shrieking controversy, the Czech-American star took shots at the Portuguese without directly naming her, during her speech at the International Tennis Federation’s champions dinner during the French Open.
The 18-time Grand Slam winner claimed that there has been a noticeable rise in grunting in women's tennis. She further went on to compare grunting with cheating since it can divert an opponent's attention during critical moments in the game.
“The grunting has reached an unacceptable level. It is cheating, pure and simple. It is time for something to be done,” Navratilova said.