It only takes one word to destroy someone’s self-esteem. What gets written online stays online, and it can come back to haunt an athlete for years.
Elina Svitolina revealed on her Instagram post that she has been facing online abuse, including death threats, following her Canadian Open defeat to Naomi Osaka.
Osaka defeated the former world number three Svitolina by 6-2,6-2 at the Montreal WTA tournament. She won most of her first-serve points and saved key break points to stay in control. Her steady serve made it difficult for Svitolina to get back into the match.
The 30-year-old wrote, “To all the bettors, I’m an athlete. The way you talk to women, to mothers, is shameful. If your moms saw your messages, they’d be disgusted.”
Tennis players, like many athletes, often face online abuse from gamblers despite authorities efforts to combat the problem, including measures such as blocking social media accounts.
This year at the Stuttergart, after his early exit in the tournament, Svitolina’s husband Gel Monflis hit back at gamblers saying he was surprised people still put money on him to win against much younger opponents.
Osaka defeated the former world number three Svitolina by 6-2,6-2 at the Montreal WTA tournament. She won most of her first-serve points and saved key break points to stay in control. Her steady serve made it difficult for Svitolina to get back into the match.
French tennis star Caroline Garcia spoke out about this issue at the US Open last year, stating that “unhealthy betting” was one of the main reasons players were targeted. She also criticised social media platforms for not doing enough to filter and prevent the abuse.
While Svitolina is dealing with online bullying, Osaka is set to face Clara Tauson. The two have met twice before, with Osaka winning both encounters. Their most recent match ended 6-3, 6-4 in favor of Osaka, while their first meeting saw her win 7-5, 6-2.
