Serena Williams discloses former Grand Slam champion influenced her iconic grunt - "She had this really cool grunt"

Known for her iconic grunt during matches, WTA legend Serena Williams revealed her inspiration for the noise and it's benefits during an appearance on the YouTube show, Hot Ones.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion retired in 2022, but has remained active in the world of fashion and entertainment. Williams sat down with host Sean Evans on a recent episode of Hot Ones, a YouTube show where famous personalities eat hot sauce-slathered wings while responding to progressively challenging questions.

Host Sean Evans touched on the topic of tennis players having a characteristic 'grunt', and asked if enforced silence would impact Williams' gameplay. The former World No.1 revealed her grunting was inspired by nine-time Grand Slam titlist Monica Seles. Furthermore, Williams explained the strategic aspect of the sound serving as a respiration aid during high-stake points.

"So I grunt because growing up, I liked this tennis player named Monica Seles and she grunts, she had this really cool grunt," replied Williams. "And I loved that, I was like that's so cool and so I would literally grunt because of her and then it just became natural."
"I guess it's a form of breathing. I grunt playing golf now. It's like a part of my life. Other people, I don't know why, they say it's like reliving and exhaling air and it's a different way to exhale air."

Williams retired at the 2022 US Open, signaling the end of an illustrious career that spanned over two decades. Some of her career achievements include an impressive haul of 73 WTA titles, including 23 Grand Slam trophies and four Olympic gold medals.