Elina Svitolina received death threats after losing in Canada

• Elina Svitolina received death threats after losing in Canada.
• The tennis player drew attention to the treatment of women and mothers.
• Research showed that players often become victims of online abuse from gambling players.

Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina revealed that after losing in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open in Naomi Osaka, she became a victim of numerous death threats and hateful comments on the Internet. These reports came from disgruntled players who lost bets on the match.

Svitolina posted screenshots of these messages on Instagram, noting that many of them included death threats and racist expressions directed at her husband, French tennis player Gaël Monfils.

"For all bets: I am a mother, not just a sportswoman," – Svitolina wrote in her story. "The way you talk to women — to mothers — is horrible. If your mother saw your messages, she would be ashamed."

At the beginning of this year, British tennis player Katie Boulter also reported receiving threats that she received during the French Open. According to WTA and ITF data, 458 tennis players reported online abuse, receiving more than 8,000 hateful comments in 2024, of which 40% were from "angry players."

Tags: Sport/Tennis