Elina Svitolina says online abusers after Canadian Open defeat were angry gamblers

MONTREAL – Former world No. 3 Elina Svitolina said that she was flooded with online abuse, including death threats, after her Canadian Open defeat on Aug 5 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 also referenced the ongoing war in her country following Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

A study undertaken by some of the various governing bodies of tennis said that angry gamblers were responsible for nearly half of all the abuse that was directed at players on social media in 2024.

Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia said after her loss at the 2024 US Open that “unhealthy betting” was one of the top reasons players were targeted and took aim at social media platforms for not doing enough to filter the abuse.

She had said that it hurt players, especially after tough losses when they were “emotionally destroyed” and she worried about how younger players would be affected.

“Social media platforms don’t prevent it, despite AI being in a very advanced position. Tournaments and the sport keeps partnering with betting companies, which keep attracting new people to unhealthy betting,” Garcia wrote on Instagram then.

“The days of cigarette brands sponsoring sports are long gone. Yet, here we are promoting betting companies, which actively destroy the life of some people.”

Reuters has contacted the WTA for comment and details of their latest efforts to combat the issue.

Svitolina’s husband and fellow professional Gael Monfils had humorously hit back at gamblers after an early loss in Stuttgart in June, with the 38-year-old saying he was surprised people still put money on him to win against much younger opponents.

He made jokes at his own expense, and even criticised those who abused him online.

“You’re writing that I’m s**t, I know I’m s**t, we both know I’m s**t, and you still bet on me?” he said.

“Who’s the dumbest between you and me? Let’s be honest.” REUTERS