On August 28, French tennis player Caroline Garcia shared a series of vile messages directed at her after she lost to Mexico’s Renata Zarazua at the US Open first-round match.
“I hope with everything in my heart that something bad will happen to you,” said one vitriolic message. Another called her a “piece of s–t”, while some other told her to “consider killing” herself and hope her mom “dies soon.”
In a lengthy caption accompanying the Instagram post, the No. 30 player explained why she decided to share them.
“I know those who write these terrible messages won’t change because of this,” she wrote. “But maybe you, next time you see a post from an athlete, singer or any other person, that has failed or lost, you will remember that she or he is also a human being, trying his best in life.”
She also shared her personal feeling about the messages, which she said numbered in the hundreds.
“Being 30 years old, although they still hurt, because at the end of the day, I’m just a normal girl working really hard and trying my best. I have tools and have done work to protect myself from this hate. But still, this is not ok.”
The former No. 4 player, who had dealt with bulimia in the past, went on to caution people how detrimental those anonymous posts can be, especially to the younger players.
“Maybe you can think that it doesn’t hurt us. But it does,” she said. “And sometimes, when we receive these messages we are already emotionally destroyed after a tough loss. And they can be damaging.”
Fellow tennis players have come out in support of Garcia’s statement.
No. 6 player Jessica Pegula said at a post-interview match: “It’s crazy how it’s become so normal and just to that sense, yeah, it’s not good. We know it all happens, but just, yeah, for Caroline to kind of call it out, especially after a loss, it’s unfortunate. It shouldn’t happen.”
Current No. 1, Poland’s Iga Swiatek re-shared the post on X, saying simply: “Thank you for this voice.”
American player Madison Keys has also publicly thanked Garcia for speaking up.
Aside from blasting trolls, Garcia’s post also criticized the promotions of betting companies in sports, which she accused of “attracting new people to unhealthy betting.”
See Caroline’s post below.