Ajla Tomljanovic declared social media abuse in tennis "horrible," as the two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist claims players receive insulting messages even on their off days.
Sadly, there have been several disgusting cases of a WTA player being targeted by an angry bettor. There is a pattern as almost always the same things are being said - bettors insult players on a career and personal level, wish them to get struck by illness, and some even go as far as to send death threats over a lost bet.
Tomljanovic, who is 32 years old and has been on the Tour for a decade and a half, remembers the time when social media wasn't really a big thing. And while the former world No. 32 is also disgusted by the kind of messages players receive nowadays, she admits she fears more for younger players and how it may impact their mental health.
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Tomljanovic: It's horrible... We receive such messages daily, even when we are not playing
Its horrible, I dont know how someone can write the things we receive. Its daily, when were not even playing. Its been going on since social media came into our lives. Its really disgusting. Im more worried for the younger generation. It came into my life in my early 20s; I cant imagine going through that when youre becoming a young adult. Its scary," the 32-year-old told The South China Morning Post.
Here are some of the examples of social media abuse revealed lately by Elina Svitolina, Eva Lys, and Maria Sakkari.
Meanwhile, Tomljanovic is playing in Hong Kong this week, where she beat Momoko Kobori in the first round and plays next against Sorana Cirstea.
