Girls causing a racquet

Strawberries and screams could be the staple diet of the Wimbledon faithful this week, as women's tennis continues to be dominated by ladies' lungs, rather than female forehands. Martina Navratilova, a winner of nine singles titles at the All-England Club, used her acceptance speech when receiving the Philippe Chatrier Award at the French Open last month to condemn the "abhorrence", questioning why such noise isn't replicated by their male counterparts. "Grunting, screeching, shrieking – I call it cheating and it's got to stop," said Navratilova. "I started having issues with it when I was playing Monica Seles back in the early 1990s. "She was one of the first, and I didn't like it one bit. It affected my game because to me it is important to hear the ball hit the racquet. "Rules must be changed, players must be warned. If they don't stop, they must have points deducted. I can see people turning off their TV sets because the noise players make is abhorrent." For Monica Seles in the early 1990s, read Maria Sharapova and Michelle Larcher de Brito in today's game. The latter, a 16-year-old from Lisbon, caused such a din at Roland Garros her opponent Avarane Rezai complained to the umpire that the assault on her ears was "unpleasant". The Portuguese professional, ranked 90th in the world, was granted a wildcard entry to this year's Wimbledon and, although she has undoubted talent, its her deafening squeals that are sure to make headlines at the tournament. "It's something that's been part of my game ever since I started," insisted De Brito. "I'm 16, I'm still learning. Maybe I can eventually put it under control. However, I hope not because it comes from Monica Seles, it comes from Sharapova, it comes from really great players." Another wildcard sure to raise the roof is Laura Robson, the 15-year-old Brit who finally gives the home fans something to shout about other than Andy Murray. The 2008 Wimbledon junior champion becomes the youngest female to compete at the championships since Martina Hingis debuted in 1995 – she was only 14 years old. Hingis triumphed at Wimbledon two years later, defeating Czech Jana Novotna in three sets. However, to suggest Robson can imitate the Swiss' success would be somewhat premature: the stress of a fervent home support could distract the left-hander. "From the sounds of it, there is going to be quite a lot of pressure on me," said Robson, ranked 484th. "I don't know what I am going to do, but all I can do is go on the court and try my best. Win or lose, if I have tried my best then I cannot be unhappy." While noise will certainly be on the menu where De Brito and Sharapova are concerned, Robson may just serve up a treat for the denizens of SW19. Keep up with the latest business news from the region with the daily Emirates Business 24|7 newsletter. To subscribe to the newsletter, please click here .