"Isn't she back in Poland already?" - When Maria Sharapova took a dig at Agnieszka Radwanska after Pole's complaints about her 'annoying' grunt
Maria Sharapova once took a sly dig at Agnieszka Radwanska's exit from the 2012 Australian Open. The Russian's taunt came in response to Radwanska's complaints about her excessively loud and "annoying" grunt.
That year, Sharapova entered the Australian Open as the fourth seed, on the hunt for her second title at the Melbourne Slam. The Russian produced a strong run, defeating the likes of Angelique Kerber, Sabine Lisicki and Ekaterina Makarova to book her place in the semifinals.
No. 8 seed Radwanska, meanwhile, faltered in the quarterfinals against third seed Victoria Azarenka, suffering a 6-7(0), 6-0, 6-2 loss. Following her defeat, she drew a comparison between Azarenka and Sharapova's loud grunts, both of whom had faced scrutiny over their high-pitched yells.
Agnieszka Radwanska asserted that while she was accustomed to Victoria Azarenka's grunts, she found Maria Sharapova's yells "annoying" and excessively loud. She argued that the Russian's thunderous screams were unnecessary and didn't make for a pleasant viewing experience.
The Pole also threw her support behind the WTA's plans to implement a grunt monitor in matches to detect whether the noise level of players' grunts fell within acceptable levels.
"To be honest, I’m kind of used to it, especially with Vika. We’ve known each other for many years. About Maria, what can I say? For sure that is pretty annoying and it’s just too loud. Of course everybody can make some noise. This is tennis. It’s really hard work over there," she said (via Inquisitr).
"I don’t think it’s very necessary to scream that loud. I don’t think this is very nice to watch, those kind of players that scream so much all the time. So that’s why I think the WTA wants to change something. If they want to do something, why not?" she added.
When Sharapova was asked for her response to Radwanska's remarks, she took a sly dig at the Pole's exit from the Australian Open, sarcastically questioning if she wasn't back in Poland already.
"Isn’t she back in Poland already? When did she get a chance to say that?" Maria Sharapova asked.
The Russian also defended her grunt, taking another potshot at Radwanska by asserting that no one of any importance had asked her to make changes to it.
"I’ve been the same over the course of my career. No one important enough has told me to change or do something different," she said.
Interestingly, both Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka's loud grunts were on display during the 2012 Australian Open final, where Azarenka claimed a dominant 6-3, 6-0 victory to clinch her maiden Grand Slam title.
Maria Sharapova dominated her rivalry against Agnieszka Radwanska
Maria Sharapova and Agnieszka Radwanska locked horns in 15 tour-level encounters over the course of their careers. The Russian dominated their rivalry, enjoying a 13-2 winning record against Radwanska.
Two of their 15 meetings took place at Grand Slam events. In their third-round clash at the 2007 US Open, Radwanska edged past the Russian to claim a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 victory. Meanwhile, Sharapova triumphed in their fourth-round clash at the 2011 French Open, beating the Pole 7-6(4), 7-5.
They met in the group stage of the 2015 WTA Finals in their final meeting on tour, with Maria Sharapova securing a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win. Nevertheless, Agnieszka Radwanska went on to triumph at the year-end championships, defeating Petra Kvitova 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the final.