Elina Svitolina took to social media to share some absolutely disgusting and horrifying messages she received following her Montreal quarterfinal exit.
After not losing a single set through her opening three Montreal matches, the 10th-seeded Ukrainian didn't play her best against an inspired Naomi Osaka, who claimed a routine 6-2 6-2 win.
Shortly after the loss, Svitolina was flooded by negative and abusive messages - presumably from angry bettors. In a series of screenshots she took and posted on her Instagram Story, the Ukrainian revealed that the was insulted as a player - woman - her marriage to Gael Monfils was also mentioned - and she even received death threats.
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Svitolina's message to the bettors: I'm a mom before I'm an athlete
The 30-year-old Ukrainian, who became a mother for the first time in late 2022, had a strong message for the social media abusers, telling them: To all the bettors: I'm a mom before I'm an athlete. The way you talk to women - to mothers - is SHAMEFUL. If your moms saw your messages, they'd be disgusted...
Unfortunately, social media abuse isn't anything new in the tennis world. Over the last several years, there have been numerous cases of a player losing the match and then seeing their DM flooded with vile messages.
Certain tournaments have started using AI-based technologies to filter out negative and abusive messages. But that's still in its early stages and players are still widely exposed to social media abuse.
