Svitolina Denounces Online Abuse After Canadian Defeat
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has publicly denounced the harassment and hate messages she received online after losing a match in Canada. The messages, coming from frustrated gamblers, included death wishes and celebrations of the war in her country. Following her defeat to Naomi Osaka in the quarter-finals of the Canadian Open, Svitolina shared screenshots of Instagram messages.Description of the publication
The insults were not only directed at Svitolina, but also included racist attacks against her husband, French tennis player Gael Monfils.This incident adds to the growing concern about online abuse suffered by athletes. Katie Boulter has also reported death threats directed at her and her family during the French Open. The WTA and ITF have asked betting companies to take action to curb the flow of social media abuse. A recent report revealed that 458 tennis players were targeted by more than 8,000 abusive comments and posts on social media during 2024, and 40% of the abuse came from “angry gamblers”.To all bettors: I am a mother before an athlete. The way you speak to women – to mothers – is SHAMEFUL. If your mothers saw your messages, they would be disgusted.
Elina Svitolina
