What inspired Serena Williams’ famous grunt on the court?

If you’ve ever seen Serena Williams in action on the tennis court, you’ve probably wondered what the noises are that she makes when she hits the ball. You know, those powerful grunts that can only come from a passionate player like Williams – whose average serve is 170 km/h, by the way – and that really make you feel sorry for the tennis ball at the other end of her swing. Listen for yourself:

Now the star is telling the story behind her on-court battle cry. On a July 4 episode of “Hot Ones,” Williams told host Sean Evans that she started grunting in honor of one of her favorite players. Monica Seleswho was considered the best player in the world in 1991 and was considered one of the OGs on the pitch.

“So I grunt because when I was a kid I liked this tennis player named Monica Seles and she grunts. She had this really cool grunt. And I loved it, I was like, ‘That’s so cool,'” she said, testing her taste buds with a taste of really spicy chicken wings. “And so I was literally grunting because of her and then it became completely natural and then my grunting just became like a… It was really loud.”

But now, after nearly 30 years on the professional tennis tour, Williams says the grunting has become second nature to her and sometimes comes out when she’s not playing tennis.

“I guess it’s a way of breathing,” she said. “Now I grunt when I play golf. It’s like a part of my life.”

During her conversation with Evans, Williams also talked about her clash with her big sister Venus at the 2003 Australian Open – a match that Serena described as one of the most intense between the two.

Williams said the pressure was high as it was her first chance to win four Grand Slam titles in a row – an achievement now known as the “Serena Slam.”

“It was a tough match because she actually played really, really well. And to be honest, she should have won. And I remember she missed a shot that she wouldn’t have missed in any other match,” she said. “And I could see that something had gone wrong… even if just for a split second… It was tough.”

For the latest news, Facebook, Þjórsárden and Instagram.