Former world number four Caroline Garcia of France revealed some of the hurtful messages she has received following recent losses on Wednesday, attributing the rise in social media abuse to "unhealthy betting." Garcia, an 11-time WTA champion and 2022 US Open semifinalist, was defeated by 92nd-ranked Renata Zarazua in the first round at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday. In a detailed post on X the following morning, she displayed "just a few" of the messages she has received after defeats, which included one urging her to commit suicide and another wishing ill on her mother. At 30, she believes she has accumulated enough resilience to overcome these messages. "I have tools and have done work to protect myself from this hate. But still, this is not OK," Garcia wrote. "It really worries me when I think about younger players coming up, that have to go through this. People that still haven't yet developed fully as a human and that really might be affected by this hate."
Garcia criticized the sport's and tournaments' partnerships with betting companies, questioning if these alliances contribute to the increase in abuse. "Tournaments and the sport keeps partnering with betting companies, which keep attracting new people to unhealthy betting," Garcia said. "The days of cigarette brands sponsoring sports are long gone. Yet, here we are promoting betting companies, which actively destroy the life of some people." She added, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they should be banned as people are free to do whatever they want with their money. But maybe we should not promote them. Also, if someone decided to say this things to me in public, he could have legal issues. So why online we are free to do anything? Shouldn't we reconsider anonymity online?"
Officials across various sports, including tennis, have attempted to protect players from abusive messages. The French Open collaborated with a company in 2022 that employs artificial intelligence to filter players' social media accounts. Wimbledon introduced a social media monitoring service to safeguard players from online abuse and threats. "Many before me have raised the subject," Garcia said. "And still, no progress has been made." Defending US Open champion Coco Gauff, who has also received similar messages, commented, "It is tough, and you could be having a good day, and then somebody will literally tell you, 'Oh, go kill yourself.'" The 20-year-old American, who deals with "nasty" comments by blocking the offenders, said, "I'm someone, I will literally spend 30 minutes blocking all the people. They are like 'You say anything and she blocks. Yes, I do! I don't want to see it so bye." American Jessica Pegula, ranked sixth in the world, voiced her support for Garcia, stating, "The constant death threats and family threats are normal now. Win or lose."
