Svitolina Targets Abuse After Montreal Loss

Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina has condemned a wave of hateful and abusive messages, including death threats, racist slurs, and references to the ongoing war in Ukraine, following her loss to Naomi Osaka at the National Bank Open in Canada. Much of the abuse came from disgruntled gamblers upset over lost bets, with recent reports attributing 40% of such athlete abuse to angry bettors since the rise of legalized sports betting. Svitolina, a mother, publicly called out the abuse on Instagram and urged greater respect and accountability towards women and mothers in sport. Other players, including Katie Boulter, have also reported similar threats. The WTA and ITF have urged betting companies and social media platforms to take stronger action to protect athletes. Despite the harassment, Svitolina thanked her supporters and remains a prominent figure on the WTA Tour.