US Open: ‘unhealthy betting’ behind online abuse, after early exit, says France’s Garcia
Former Flushing Meadows semi-finalist receives support for her assertion from fellow pros: ‘death threats and family threats are normal now’
Caroline Garcia said she received online abuse after her first-round loss at the US Open and the French player on Wednesday blamed “unhealthy betting” as one of the main reasons players are targeted on social media.
Garcia, a semi-finalist at Flushing Meadows in 2022, lost 6-1, 6-4 on Tuesday to unseeded Mexican Renata Zarazua, who had reached the second round of a grand slam only once before.
Garcia shared snippets of the abuse directed at her and her family on social media. The Frenchwoman also took aim at social media platforms for not doing enough to filter abuse.
“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,” she wrote on Instagram.
“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. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying they should be banned.
“But maybe we should not promote them. Also, if someone decided to say these things to me in public, he could have legal issues. So why online we are free to do anything? Shouldn’t we reconsider anonymity online?”
Garcia said the messages hurt players, especially after a tough loss when they were “emotionally destroyed”, and she was worried about how younger players are affected.
