NEW YORK (Reuters) – Caroline Garcia said she was subjected to online abuse following her first-round loss at the U.S. Open. The French player on Wednesday blamed “unhealthy betting” as one of the main reasons why players are attacked on social media.
Garcia lost 6-1, 6-4 on Tuesday to unseeded Mexican Renata Zarazua, who had only reached the second round of a Grand Slam once before in her career.
Garcia shared snippets of some of the abuse she received on social media, targeting not only the 30-year-old but also her family.
The Frenchwoman also accused social media platforms of not adequately filtering out abuse and allowing anonymous users to access them without any control.
“Social media platforms do not prevent this, even though AI is very advanced. Tournaments and sports continue to enter into partnerships with betting companies that continue to lure new people into unhealthy bets,” Garcia wrote on Instagram.
“The days of cigarette brands sponsoring sport are long gone. And yet here we are sponsoring betting companies that are actively destroying some people’s lives. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying they should be banned.
“But maybe we shouldn’t encourage it. Besides, if someone says these things to me publicly, they could get into legal trouble. So why can we do anything on the Internet? Shouldn’t we think about anonymity on the Internet?”
Garcia said the messages hurt players, especially after a tough loss when they are already “emotionally destroyed,” but he wondered how younger players would react to such abuse.
“I’m just a normal girl who works really hard and tries her best. I have the means and I’ve done something to protect myself from this hate. But still, this is not OK,” Garcia added.
“It really worries me when I think about the young players who have to go through this.”
Garcia received support from fellow players such as world number one Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys, who both thanked her for her commitment.
American Jessica Pegula said: “The constant death threats and threats against the family are normal today, whether they win or lose.”
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Clare Fallon)
