What Happened to Decency?

October 6, 2015 | By Richard Thater
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Swearing and temper outbursts dominated tennis headlines this year.

In the weeks leading up to Wimbledon, it seemed that the big controversy was going to be about coaching during matches. After all, according to the Daily Mail online, Boris Becker divulged that he and Novak Djokovic have ways of communicating when the Serb is on court. The rules clearly say that in-play coaching is cheating.

But Djokovic would be guilty of a much worse offense—he made a young ball girl cry. I realize that playing for a place in history does not guarantee choirboy behavior. Still, I think his behavior tarnished his title.

Audible obscenities are against the tennis rules of conduct, yet The New York Times reports that stars like Serena Williams and Andy Murray drop F-bombs on courts all over the world. No doubt younger players like Jack Sock and Nick Kyrgios would feel comfortable listing foul language as part of their equipment during a Tennis Channel Bag Check.

What are these words and how often are they used?
John H. McWhorter wrote in The Wall Street Journal that “At street level and in popular culture, Americans are freer with profanity now than ever before.”

In Medieval times, swearing tended to focus more on religion and religious authority than on body parts or sexual activities.

“By the late 18th Century, sex, excretion and parts associated with same had come to be treated as equally profane as ‘swearing’ in the religious sense,” said McWhorter in the article.

What is swearing today?
I found a clearly written set of guidelines from the Mobile Tennis Center in Alabama, where players are required to abide by these facility rules of behavior both on and off the court. These rules also apply to parents, coaches, siblings and other guests of the player.

►No use of the word “Suck” or any form of the word spoken or spelled

No use of expressions of frustrations with references to deities (i.e. “Oh my God,” “Jesus,” “Jesus Christ,” “Christ,” “God,” etc.) either spoken or spelled

No use of “Freaking,” “Frigging,” “Fricking” or variations of such words either spoken or spelled …

Verbal rules apply to any language. We have officials on-site that are fluent in many languages. Anyone found in violation of these rules may be subject to a Code Violation and receive suspension points.

I recently had breakfast with a retired on-court USTA official, and he said current officials are being told only to warn junior players by telling them not to say the bad words or behave poorly next time. No penalties should be given.

If more of us are using profanity more frequently, it should not be a surprise to read that children as young as three are swearing more. Of course, at that age they are mostly repeating what they have heard.

Writing in The Washington Post, Travis Wright said sometimes kids will “talk dirty” to show off in front of their peers. Or, they may use words of this nature if they are frustrated, scared or angry. Though the world is full of curse words, children are most likely to hear adult language at home.

A surprising soft attitude about swearing on tennis courts was expressed by Les Maddock, chief umpire of the British Lawn Tennis Association and Wimbledon, through 2010. Interviewed by The Telegraph in 2006, he “gently scoffed” at the idea that players should pay higher fines for swearing on court. He said that he hears the F-word being used all the time by government officials on British telly. He said that, given the times, if only the umpire hears a player mumbling obscenities under his breath, he probably should not be penalized.

Some stories end on a positive note
Listening to Justin Gimelstob today, he is clearly an insightful television commentator, as well as an enthusiastic and successful coach. But it is hard to forget the dramatic monologue he spewed out during a radio interview back in 2008. I read the story in disbelief when it first broke in June of that year. Not content with calling Anna Kournikova a b*tch, he went on to drop further disparaging comments Anna’s way, and threatened to hurt her the next time they played.

He was suspended for one match by World TeamTennis, and censured by the ATP. Whether prompted by a reality check or a “come to Jesus moment,” Gimelstob made a very articulate and comprehensive apology to Kournikova on the WTT Web site, and he made a donation to the Women’s Sports Foundation. He concluded saying there was “No excuse for his comments.” Thanks Justin for setting a great example.

Can we do anything to hold back this tide of unwanted and unacceptable language?
I think we can try to be more articulate when we express our fear, frustration and anger. And let’s keep the profanity on a dusty shelf in the back of our minds.


Richard Thater

Richard Thater is a long-time teacher and player on New York City courts. He is PTR-certified in both Junior and Adult Development, and has played in senior tournaments in the Greater New York area. Richard currently teaches at the West Side Tennis Club. He may be reached by phone at (917) 749-3255 or e-mail RichThater@aol.com.

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