“I hope your mother dies soon”, “You should think about killing yourself”. Here are the hateful messages that Caroline Garcia has received since her elimination in the first round of the US Open, Tuesday August 27, against the Mexican Renata Zazarua (6-1, 6-4).
The number one in French women’s tennis had already made no secret of the fact that she was on the verge of “burnout” after her defeat. These messages only served to rub salt into the wound. The 30-year-old player therefore decided to react by posting a long message in English on her X account (formerly Twitter).
At 30, she explains that she has “the tools and the perspective needed to protect yourself from these hateful messages “, more “It’s unacceptable”she emphasizes. She is particularly the spokesperson for the younger generation. “I think of the young players who come through and have to go through this.she wrote. They are not fully developed as human beings and could be really affected by this hatred.”
“Reconsidering online anonymity”
For the Frenchwoman, these anonymous messages are often linked to online sports betting. This is something other players, like her, complain about. We remember in particular Benoît Paire getting angry with a spectator who was disrespectful to him in the stands, while he was losing a match on which the aggressor had bet.
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“Tournaments continue to partner with betting companiesGarcia laments. The days of cigarette brands sponsoring sporting events are long gone, yet we promote companies that are destroying the lives of hundreds of people.” And to continue: “ Maybe we shouldn’t promote them, she wrote. Also, if someone decided to tell me these things in public, they could get into legal trouble. So why are we free to do whatever we want online? Shouldn’t we reconsider online anonymity?
