Svitolina slams Canadian Open death threats, says abusers’ mums would be disgusted
Ukrainian uses social media to share screenshots of the abuse she received after her loss to Naomi Osaka
Former world No 3 Elina Svitolina said she was flooded with online abuse, including death threats, after her Canadian Open defeat on Tuesday and blamed the “shameful” behaviour on disgruntled bettors.
The 10th seed from Ukraine crashed to a 6-2, 6-2 quarter-final loss against four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka at the Montreal WTA tournament and later highlighted the abuse directed at her and her family.
Tennis players, like many athletes, often have to deal with the wrath of gamblers online despite the efforts of authorities to tackle the issue with measures that include the blocking of social media accounts.
“To all the bettors: I’m a mom before I’m an athlete,” Svitolina, 30, wrote in an Instagram story in which she attached screenshots of the messages that included death threats.
“The way you talk to women – to mothers – is SHAMEFUL. If your moms saw your messages, they’d be disgusted.”
Some of the abusive messages Svitolina shared referenced the ongoing war in her country following Russia’s invasion.