Russian tennis player and world number eight, Daria Kasatkina, has rejected the idea of “trash-talking” in tennis, saying that the disparaging or boastful comments under the guise of banter would not work well in an “intelligent” sport. She feels tennis should remain polite and courteous, like it has been traditionally.
Kasatkina’s comments come after fellow Americans Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff expressed their support for trash-talking. Pegula said she would like to have one event every year where “everything goes” to see how players and fans react, but Kasatkina believes that it may not work as it does in other sports, and that tennis must be a little bit on the side of politeness.
“Tennis is an intelligent sport, and I think it’s not going to work. We’re not from the United States, so we’re not used to it. I was always educated by the way that tennis is an intelligent sport. So, I will go with that,” Kasatkina said.
Positive response from other players
Pegula’s Twitter post on whether “trash-talking” should be encouraged received many positive responses, with American youngster Ben Shelton volunteering to start immediately at the Estoril Open. Spain’s Paula Badosa also expressed her support for the idea. “I’m in … traditionally tennis is polite, but why not? It’s a new generation, it could be a change, different and fun. But I don’t know if women could take that,” Badosa said.
Badosa, who lost to Pegula in the last-eight at Charleston, said that women may take it a bit more personally than men. However, she still thinks it’s a good idea to consider. Trash-talking is prevalent in other sports like basketball, and it is a popular thing, especially in the United States.
Tennis players must still adhere to strict rules of conduct
Tennis players are still expected to adhere to strict rules of conduct, both on and off the court, and must maintain a certain level of decorum. Although there have been instances of heated exchanges between players, it is not something that is widely accepted in the sport.
The debate over trash-talking in tennis is ongoing, and it remains to be seen if it will become more accepted in the future. For now, however, Kasatkina’s stance is that tennis should remain an intelligent and polite sport.
While the idea of trash-talking is gaining some support among certain players, others like Daria Kasatkina feel that tennis should remain an intelligent and polite sport. It is still unclear if trash-talking will be more widely accepted in the future or not, but tennis players are still expected to maintain decorum and follow strict rules of conduct.
