Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has publicly addressed the torrent of online abuse she endured following her defeat at the National Bank Open in Canada. The abuse, which included death wishes and celebratory messages about the war in Ukraine, was directed at both her and her husband, French tennis player Gael Monfils, who is Black.

Svitolina shared screenshots of the hateful messages on her Instagram, calling out the behavior of frustrated gamblers. "To all the bettors: I'm a mum before I'm an athlete," she wrote. "The way you talk to women - to mothers - is SHAMEFUL. If your mothers saw your messages, they'd be disgusted."

This incident is not isolated. Earlier this year, British player Katie Boulter revealed she received death threats during the French Open, targeting her and her family. The WTA and ITF have since called on betting companies to take more action to curb the flood of online abuse faced by players on social media.

A recent report by the WTA and ITF highlighted the extent of the problem, revealing that 458 tennis players were targeted by over 8,000 abusive comments and posts in 2024. Alarmingly, 40% of this abuse was attributed to "angry gamblers."

Svitolina's stand against this harassment underscores the urgent need for stricter measures to protect athletes from online abuse, particularly from those who lose bets on matches.