Girl, 9, banned from tennis club for grunting too loudly
Nine-year-old tennis fan Lauryn Edwards modelled every aspect of her tennis game on her idol Maria Sharapova, from her powerful serve to her deadly forehand.
Unfortunately for opponents at her club in Adelaide, Australia, Lauryn also managed to pick up one of Sharapova's least desirable traits - her ear-splitting grunt as she hits every shot.
Now her grunting has led to her being banned from playing at her local tennis club, after her opponents complained it put them off.
Herr father has described the ban as pathetic and said his daughter's grunting was nowhere near Sharapova's level and had been exaggerated.
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Lauryn Edwards says grunting helps her play better tennis, but her local club have banned her from making a noise while playing
"It's pretty slight and now and again she hits it hard and makes a loud noise and that's it," he said.
"From just one comment, this has all blown up stupidly.
"There's no rule against it, so they've made a rule against it."
Lauryn, who has attention deficit disorder, has been playing tennis since the age of four, after it was recommended by her school psychologist at Sunbury Primary to burn energy and keep her focused.
Nicknamed Lauryn Sharapova by an old coach, she said she played better when grunting.
"It feels natural to do my noise. I'm not faking it," Lauryn said.
"It makes me play better. When I don't do it, I don't play my best tennis.
"And now people have told me I can't play if I do it."
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Sharapova's noisy squeals and grunts as she plays tennis have led to complaints that she puts her opponent off
Mr Edwards said the club had asked him to make sure Lauryn would remain silent on the court.
"They told me to guarantee she won't grunt or she can't play," he said.
"How can I guarantee that? She's been doing it since she was really little. She's her own person.
"What do they want me to do? Put Band-Aids over her mouth? They made her cry on the court when they told her.
"She was in such a state that I had to bring her home mid-match."
Maria Sharapova's infamous grunt has led to numerous opponents complaining that it is putting them off their game.
Once measured at an ear-splitting 75 decibels, louder than a power drill, her increasingly noisy squeals were mocked by the crowd at a recent Fed Cup match earlier this month.
