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Wozniacki wages war on wailers

Caroline Wozniacki won her opening match in Istanbul © Getty Images

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Caroline Wozniacki has launched a campaign against grunting in women's tennis and claims some of those who scream loudly on court during matches are doing it "on purpose".

The world No.1 has effectively accused her shrieking opponents of cheating after the Dane suggested they gave themselves an unfair advantage.

"I think there are some players who do it on purpose," Wozniacki said. "They don't do it in practice and then they come into the match and they grunt. I understand if they do it in practice and in matches, that's different. But I think they [officials] could definitely cut it.

"If you grunt really loudly, your opponent cannot hear how you hit the ball. Because you think the grunt is so loud, you think the ball is coming fast and suddenly it just [drops]. Especially in tight moments, maybe the grunt helps them with getting less nervous."

Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova are two serial offenders. Sharapova's shrieks have been known to exceed 100 decibels, while Azarenka's lengthy wails are equally distracting for opponents. Both insist they cannot help it and it is part of their game.

But Wozniacki, who had to dig deep to beat Agnieszka Radwanska on Tuesday, believes the excessive shrieking is ruining the sport as spectacle.

"I think the grunting can definitely be a little bit disturbing, especially for the crowd," she said. "I've had a lot of people come up to me and say it's not really nice, we always turn the volume off [on the television]. That's not what you want to hear."

"The guys are grunting as well," Stacey Allaster, the WTA chief executive, said. "It's not unique to women's tennis. But our female DNA transmits it in a different way. [But] I'm very focused on the fans and I have seen a slight increase in the fan comments that we're receiving. So I do think on that basis that we should look at it. And I think if we're going to make any changes it needs to be with the junior players."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.