Maria Sharapova, the former Wimbledon champion dubbed¹ the Queen of Screams, claimed yesterday that she was too old to stop grunting³ on court.

前温网女单冠军玛利亚•莎拉波娃绰号是“尖叫女王”，她昨天表示自己年纪太大，已经改不掉场上尖叫的习惯。

After cementing a place in the third round of the tournament, the 25-year-old admitted that she had been screeching⁴ since the moment she first picked up a racquet（球拍） .

But despite being one of the worst offenders⁵, she said the plan to introduce maximum noise levels and to penalise those who exceed them was a "smart idea".

Asked if she could alter her technique to reduce the noise she makes, the world number one said: "Certainly not now, not since I've been doing it since I was four years old.

"It's definitely tough and impossible to do when you've played this sport for over 20 years."

Heather Watson, the new golden girl of British tennis who will today (FRI) play for a place in the final 16, defended grunting（呼噜的） and claimed that for some spectators, it added to the experience.

"I think some that watch tennis, some not all, actually enjoy it," she said. "Though there are a few who go way over the top."

Watson, 20, rolled her eyes when told about proposals to start teaching junior players how to breathe differently, stating incredulously（怀疑地） : "There's an educational program?"

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has confirmed that off-putting wails⁶ will no longer be tolerated and that umpires will in the future be equipped with grunt²-ometers to ensure the maximum levels are not breached⁷.

The loudest known grunt came from Sharapova, who in 2009 was recorded at 105 decibels⁸, equivalent to standing⁹ 3ft from a chainsaw.