Former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki has experienced tennis in all its glory and harshness. The sport has given her incredible highs, pushed her limits, and taught lessons that only the court can offer. During her career, she captured 30 WTA singles titles before retiring in January 2020. Yet, even in retirement, one aspect of the game still frustrates her — a habit she believes can undermine fairness during matches.

In a recent clip shared by @cate_tennis from the Nothing Major Show podcast, John Isner asked Wozniacki what rule change she would make on the WTA Tour if given the chance. Drawing from her years on tour, she replied:

“There should be like a mic and there should be a decibel thing, so you can’t grunt over a certain level. I think that should be a rule. And also the length of the grunt. I think that would be great ’cause I was never a big grunter; I never made a lot of sounds when I was playing.”

Wozniacki’s comments reignited the long-standing debate over grunting in tennis. She, like several other players, believes excessive noise can distract opponents. “You can’t hear someone hit the ball properly when someone is screaming so loud. I think it really disturbs the opponent in some way. And I think as a fan, you don’t really want to listen to that either,” she explained.

Still, research suggests grunting can have legitimate advantages. It helps players regulate breathing, maintain rhythm, engage muscles effectively, and even enhance focus and shot power. Despite that, it remains one of the sport’s most divisive habits.

The issue came under fresh scrutiny at Wimbledon 2025, when Aryna Sabalenka’s loud grunts drew attention — with stadium graphics comparing them to a car horn or a lion’s roar. Sabalenka later said, “Honestly, I don’t even hear myself when I am playing.” However, the noise does affect others. During the 2025 French Open quarterfinals, after losing to Sabalenka 7-6(3), 6-3, Zheng Qinwen voiced her frustration: “How can you scream when you hit the ball, but you still screaming when I hit the ball? This is hindrance.” She added that if no rule change was made, she might “scream when she hits next time we play.”

Wozniacki’s argument ties directly into this — she believes extremely loud grunting can compromise fairness and concentration, even for elite players. Introducing volume limits, she says, could also shape better habits among rising stars.

“Sometimes it helps the player, sometimes it doesn’t…I think that should be a rule, and the younger generation could start off by being a bit more quiet.” Throughout her career, Wozniacki demonstrated that success doesn’t require excessive noise — and that overpowering grunts can be more of a distraction than an advantage.