French tennis player Carolina Garcia has made a strong appeal to be careful about what people say to each other on social media after receiving a flood of hate messages.
A day after her first-round loss to Mexican Renata Zarazua at the US Open on Tuesday, Garcia uploaded some of the disgusting messages from trolls, including one that read: “I hope from the bottom of my heart that something bad happens to you.”
“These are some of the messages I’ve received lately after losing matches. Just a few of them. There are hundreds. And now, at 30 years old, they still hurt because at the end of the day, I’m just a normal girl who works really hard and does her best. I have the means and I’ve done something to protect myself from this hate. But still, this is not OK,” Garcia wrote on her social media platforms on Wednesday.
“It really worries me when I think about the young players who have to go through this. People who are not yet fully developed as human beings and who could be really affected by this hate. Maybe you think it doesn’t hurt us. But it does. We are human. And sometimes when we receive these messages, we are already emotionally destroyed after a serious loss. And they can be damaging. Many have raised the issue before me. And yet, no progress has been made.”
Garcia, who has spoken openly in the past about personal issues, particularly her battle with bulimia, highlighted some of the vile messages in a slideshow, one of which told her to “consider” ending her life.
“A clown belongs in the circus,” read one message, while another said, “You are a piece of shit.”
A separate post targeted her family.
“I know that those who write these horrible messages will not change because of this. But maybe the next time you see a post from an athlete, singer or other person who has failed or lost, you will remember that he or she is also a human being trying his or her best in life,” Garcia wrote.
Garcia also drew attention to social media platforms and betting companies in her post.
“Tournaments and sports keep partnering with betting companies that keep luring new people into unhealthy bets. The days of cigarette brands sponsoring sports are long gone. And yet here we are promoting betting companies that are actively destroying some people’s lives. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying they should be banned as people are free to do what they want with their money. But maybe we shouldn’t promote them. Besides, if someone decided to say such things to me publicly, they could get into legal trouble. So why are we free to do anything online? Shouldn’t we rethink anonymity on the internet?” wrote the former world number 4.
Garcia said goodbye with the words: “Be kind. Give love. Enjoy life.”
Garcia is currently ranked 30th in the world and reached the semifinals of the US Open two years ago.
She won the 2022 Tour Finale.
Garcia will compete in the women’s doubles with American Danielle Collins on Wednesday, with the pair facing Americans Anna Sinclair Rogers and Alana Smith.
