"Steffi Graf hit the ball a ton and she didn't grunt" - When Chris Evert criticized Maria Sharapova and other modern-day players for grunting

Chris Evert once expressed her criticism of players grunting too loudly during matches, claiming that Steffi Graf never had to resort to that.

Graf is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, winning a whopping 22 Grand Slams, among other achievements. The German attained a lot of success throughout her career and did so without having to resort to grunting, unlike some of the modern-day players whom Chris Evert criticized.

The American spoke to reporters in Sydney back in 2009 and expressed her annoyance at players grunting and producing a shrill noise while hitting a winner. She claimed that things like that threw the opponent off guard, a sentiment she did not enjoy.

"Grunting is one thing but the shrill sound that you hear with players nowadays, and especially they get louder when they hit a winner, that's the thing that I observe as a player. It comes before they hit the shot. That's the first thing you hear and you are kind of like thrown off guard as a player and then before you know the ball gets past you," Chris Evert said.

Evert also claimed that the grunts were getting louder with modern-day players, giving the example of Maria Sharapova -- who grunted consistently, but whose noise levels would become more shrill while setting up a winner.

"It is distracting when you are hearing this and I think the grunts are getting louder and more shrill now with the current players. The next time you watch say a Maria Sharapova, the grunting is consistent but all of a sudden when she has a set up to hit a winner. I don't understand, they say you've got to blow air out when you hit the ball," Evert said.

Evert pointed out that Steffi Graf never resorted to grunting despite hitting the ball just as hard and that the same applied to other players back in the day as well.

"Steffi Graf hit the ball a ton and she didn't grunt. There were a lot of players, hard-hitting players, and you never heard a peep out of them," Evert said.

Steffi Graf and Chris Evert locked horns on 13 occasions

Chris Evert (L) and Steffi Graf (M) with Martina Navratilova (R) at the 1995 WTA awards

Steffi Graf and Chris Evert locked horns on 13 occasions, with Graf leading 7-6 in the head-to-head.

The first meeting between the two came in the semifinals of the 1985 Miami Open, with Evert winning 6-4, 6-2. The American triumphed in her first six matches against Graf before the German came out on top in the next seven fixtures.

The two met in just one Grand Slam final at the 1988 Australian Open, which Steffi Graf won 6-4, 6-4 to clinch her maiden title at the Melbourne Major.

The last meeting between them came in the semifinals of the 1989 Wimbledon Championships, and the German won 6-2, 6-1 to reach the final, where she beat Martina Navratilova 6-2, 6-7(1), 6-1.