In recent Instagram stories, world No. 3 Jessica Pegula exposed some of the vile and disturbing messages she regularly receives online—so frequently, in fact, that she has grown used to them. The American tennis star believes that this level of abuse is uniquely intense in the world of tennis, claiming other professional athletes don’t endure the same constant wave of internet hate.
Much of this abuse comes from angry bettors who target players after losses. It’s an all-too-common part of life on the tennis tour, and many players have voiced their frustration about it. In 2023, Roland Garros took a step in combating the issue by implementing an AI-powered system designed to protect players from toxic messages online. The software allowed players to connect their social media accounts and automatically block abusive comments across platforms like Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Discord, and Facebook.
This year, there has been no mention of the system’s continuation. Anyone know what has happened?
After suffering a surprising loss to world No. 361 wildcard Lois Boisson at this year’s French Open, Pegula shared just a few of the countless cruel messages she’s received. Notably, Pegula pointed out that 99% of the abusers are men.
Some of the dreadful messages…
