Vegemite "stumbled into the murky territory" of "actively sledging" Maria Sharapova in the wake of her controversial exit from the Australian Open, according to Tyson Otto of NEWS.com.au. After becoming an official tournament sponsor as well as a personal sponsor of Aussie player Ash Barty, Vegemite has "gone all out with its advertising campaigns around Melbourne Park since the start of the year’s first grand slam." A decision to take a "cheeky pot-shot" at Sharapova is now fueling debate on social media about an official sponsor "actively sledging one of the tournament’s biggest stars." One billboard spotted in Melbourne showed Vegemite "trumpeting" its product as tasting like, "Quiet, please Maria." The N.Y. Times' Ben Rothenberg "led the questioning" surrounding the marketing strategy. It came after Sharapova's "distinctive shrieking grunts" became one of the talking points to emerge from her fourth-round loss to Barty. The Herald Sun's Leo Schlink also "lamented" the WTA Tour's "failure to stamp out excessive grunting" as former Chair Stacey Allaster attempted to do six years ago when she "declared war on the grunting controversy." Schlink wrote, "Tennis devotees -- those at Melbourne Park and elsewhere -- detest the habit" (HERALD SUN, 1/24).
