ABC News
[ Source: ABC ]
British tennis player Katie Boulter has told the BBC she received death threats targeting her and her family during the French Open, saying in an interview that online abuse has become the norm and that she is worried about the impact it will have on younger players.
The British number two added that the abuse extends to matches played by her fiance, Australian Alex de Minaur.
Boulter, who is 28 years old and ranked number 39 in the WTA, said she believes many of the abusive messages are sent by people who are placing bets on tennis matches.
The messages threatening her loved ones was sent during her French Open first-round match against Carole Monnet on May 29.
After losing the first-set tie-break, Boulter won the match 6-7 (4), 6-1. 6-1.
But the loss of the tiebreaker prompted the outrage.
“Hope you get cancer,” said one message, while another mentioned damaging her “grandmother’s grave if she’s not dead by tomorrow” and “candles and a coffin for your entire family”. A third said: “Go to hell, I lost money my mother sent me.”
Boulter, who shared with the BBC screenshots of the messages and revealed that she also gets sent explicit pictures, said she is worried about the toll the widespread abuse takes on younger players.
“At the very start of my career, it’s probably something I took very personally … getting comments about the way you look,” she said.
“It becomes more apparent every single time you go on your phone.”
“I think it increases in number and it also increases in the level of things that people say. I don’t think there’s anything off the cards now.”
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