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Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has hit out at social media trolls after recieving a range of vile Instagram messages after her straight-sets loss to Naomi Osaka of Japan in Montreal.
Osaka, a four-time grand slam winner, upset the 10th seed to claim a 6-2, 6-2 to reach her firstWTA 1000 semifinal in more than three years.
But the abuse received by Svitolina, 30, has overshadowed the result.
Svitolina shared a range of messages to her Instagram story with the caption: “To all the bettors: I’m a mom [sic] before I’m an athlete. The way you talk to women – to mothers – is SHAMEFUL. If your moms saw your messages, they’d be disgusted ...”
Elina Svitolina showed the abusive & horrific messages she received from bettors after her loss to Naomi Osaka in Montreal.
Her response to them:
“To all the bettors: I'm a mom before I'm an athlete. The way you talk to women - to mothers - is SHAMEFUL. If your moms saw your… pic.twitter.com/nG7jA87Bw3
Former Australian professional Nick Kyrgios labelled the abuse as “disgusting”.
In 2024, Svitolina lost to Coco Gauff in the women’s ASB Classic final in Auckland.
Abusive messages to tennis players aren’t new, with New Zealander Monique Barry, who is ranked 480 in the world, sharing some of her messages in an interview with the Herald this year.
While the abuse was sad for Svitolina, the result was massive for Osaka, which should see her seeded at the US Open later this month.
