Caroline Garcia has spoken out about the vile social media abuse she has received and said it is “damaging” players.
The Frenchwoman, who lost in the first round of the US Open on Tuesday, shared some of the abuse she has been sent in recent weeks, which included a user telling her to kill herself and another saying they wished her mum was dead.
She posted on Instagram and X, saying: “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.
“Maybe you can think that it doesn’t hurt us. But it does. We are humans. And sometimes, when we receive this messages we are already emotionally destroyed after a tough loss.
“And they can be damaging. Many before me have raised the subject. And still, no progress has been made.
“I know those who write these terrible messages won’t change because of this.
“But maybe you, next time you see a post from an athlete, singer or any other person, that has failed or lost, you will remember that she or he is also a human being, trying his best in life.”
As Frances Tiafoe, a semi-finalist in New York in 2022, said: “People are saying outlandish… stuff. It’s just wild.”
“I try not to look at the comments,” said 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, mentioning that she will ask her PR person to scroll through and let her know when there are positive ones.
“There’s always going to be a negative comment and I’ve learned that the hard way.”
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