Tennis Pro Caroline Garcia Exposes Online Abuse Following Early Exit at US Open

Posted on: August 29, 2024, 09:21h. 

Last updated on: August 29, 2024, 10:14h.

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Tennis pro Caroline Garcia, ranked 29th in the world in the women’s game before her upset during the first round of the US Open in New York City on Tuesday, took to social media following her loss to expose the regular online abuse players endure.

Caroline Garcia tennis U.S. Open harassment
Caroline Garcia returns a backhand during her first-round US Open tennis championship match against Renata Zarazua. Garcia scolded tennis’ governing bodies after her first-round upset for not better protecting players from online abuse and harassment, which she thinks has grown in frequency since sports betting went mainstream in the US. (Image: AP)

Garcia, a 30-year-old from France who reached the semifinals of the 2022 US Open and was ranked as high as No. 4 in the world at the height of her career in September 2018, blamed the ongoing expansion of legal sports betting in the US for much of the online harassment and threats. After being eliminated by Renata Zarazua, ranked 92nd and making her debut in the Grand Slam major, Garcia thought it was time to reveal what players bear every week from agitated bettors.

Garcia shared messages she received telling her she should consider committing suicide and that she’s “a piece of sh*t.” Another message said they “hope your mom dies soon.”

“Tournaments and the sport keep partnering with betting companies, which keep attracting new people to unhealthy betting. The days of cigarette brands sponsoring sports are long gone. Yet, here we are promoting betting companies, which actively destroy the lives of some people,” Garcia opined.

Time for Action?

Garcia was the favorite in her match against Zarazua, with most sportsbooks putting the 2022 WTA Finals champion around -210 to Zarazua at +160. Garcia’s odds implied a likely winning chance of nearly 68%.

After losing convincingly in straight sets 6-1, 6-4, Garcia said she fielded more abuse from bettors who lost money on her poor play.

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 encouraged tennis fans and sports bettors?to remember that professional athletes are also human beings.

“Be kind. Give love. Enjoy life,” she concluded.

Several of Garcia’s peers supported her post, including Madison Keys, Katie Boulter, and Paula Badosa. Jessica Pegula, seeded sixth in the US Open who plays later today in the second round, retweeted Garcia’s post on X and added, “Yep. The constant death threats and family threats are normal now.”

Garcia said she isn’t opposed to allowing fans to bet on tennis matches, but questions whether the sport’s governing bodies should be partnered with and promoting the gambling firms.

League Pledges Fall Short

Tennis’ governing bodies — the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), and United States Tennis Association (USTA) — have entered into numerous partnerships over the past few years with companies and organizations that are supposedly capable of protecting the integrity of the game and safeguarding players from the abuse Garcia detailed.

In late December, the groups aligned with Threat Matrix to curb cybercruelty. Threat Matrix comes from LexisNexis, a US-based data analytics company.

LexisNexis’ Threat Matrix claims to monitor social media channels for abusive comments, including racism, sexism, homophobia, and anti-Semitism. The service uses artificial intelligence and human oversight to detect and respond to such pestering.

The governing bodies said at the time that the Threat Matrix partnership was to “protect and support athletes from mental trauma and potential real-world threat of online harassment and abuse.”

Threat Matrix claims to have the capability to identify people behind their anonymous social media accounts and relay such information to appropriate parties, including law enforcement. Tennis’ governing bodies haven’t publicly responded to Garcia’s comments.