Q: There’s been a lot of talk—a lot of complaining, in fact—about grunting during matches these days. Were Venus and Serena grunters from way back?
A: I don’t know.
Q: You don’t remember?
A: No, I do not. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. To be honest, I think there’s something wrong with tennis.
Q: What do you mean by that?
A: In 1884 tennis came to America and it has been the same, nothing has changed. They want you to sit there and be quiet. Turn your neck this way, turn it that way, and get a crick in it. Somewhere along the line you have to say, “Let’s have some fun out here.” Who wants to come out here, buy a ticket and sit still? It doesn’t make sense. Until Venus came along, tennis was dead. Venus brought tennis to life. When Serena came along and added more life, tennis became a very popular sport all over again. Until then, tennis had died and went to hell. I think they need to change tennis because it’s dead.
Q: So is it a mistake when the chair umpire tells crowds to be silent?
A: I don’t think crowds should be quiet—whether you’re screaming, you’re stomping, you’re playing drums. Change tennis and you’ll get more fans. Change tennis and you’ll get more sponsors. Change tennis and you’ll get more people to broadcast it. A lot of people in tennis that make decisions, they’ve never played tennis.
