NEW YORK − As if a fourth round 6-2 6-1 thrashing at the US Open was not hard enough to deal with, American Shelby Rogers said that she would most likely have to contend with death threats on social media following her loss to Emma Raducanu on Monday.
While death threats over a tennis match may seem shocking, several players at this year's US Open have said such things are now part of sport with much of the abuse coming from gamblers hooked on online betting.
"I'm going to have 9 million death threats and whatnot," said Shelby with a shrug. "At this point in my career, I'd say I'm used to it.
"I kind of wish social media didn't exist.
"You could probably go through my profile right now, I'm probably a fat pig and words that I can't say right now."
Fellow tennis player, Sloane Stephens, said she received a torrent of angry messages on social media, including racist and sexist abuse, following her third-round loss to Angelique Kerber.
Sloane, who is black, said she got over 2,000 messages of abuse after Friday's 5-7 6-2 6-3 defeat, including threats of physical harm.
"It's so hard to read messages like these, but I'll post a few so you guys can see what it's like after a loss," she wrote in an Instagram story.
What followed was a series of racist and sexist messages aimed at the 28-year-old.
"This type of hate is so exhausting and never ending," she said.
Shelby acknowledged that social media interaction is encouraged as way to market the sport and connect with fans.
"It's part of marketing now, we have contracts, we have to post certain things," said Shelby. "It is what it is.
"You try not to take it to heart, and it's the unfortunate side of any sport.
"You know, just focus on the important things, not comments from people in their mom's basement.
"It's really unfortunate and some of it does get to your head sometimes." – Reuters, September 8, 2021
