French Open - 'These people should stop and think' - Iga Swiatek calls on online trolls to stop abusing athletes
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Updated 26/05/2022 at 10:42 GMT
Iga Swiatek has called on online trolls to take a step back before posting abusive messages as they take a toll on athletes. Swiatek will continue her quest for a second French Open title when she faces Alison Riske at Roland-Garros on Thursday. Stream the 2022 French Open live and on-demand on discovery+.
Highlights: Swiatek storms into second round with win over Tsurenko at French Open
Iga Swiatek has urged online trolls to stop and think before aiming abuse at athletes.
The Pole has arrived at Roland-Garros as the overwhelming favourite for the French Open after a stunning run of form that has brought her a string of titles so far in 2022.
While currently riding the crest of a wave, Swiatek knows form can turn and feels followers of sport should rein in criticism.
Swiatek suggested some of the hate is motivated by money from lost bets, but said that is not an excuse for sending abusive messages.
“Recently I played against Andreea Prisacariu in Poland's Billie Jean King Cup match with Romania and I am aware that she said afterwards she had received bad messages because she lost,” Swiatek wrote in her column for BBC Sport. “I don't know exactly what happened in this instance but I know hate is there and that it's a serious issue which needs addressing.
“It is tough to do something about it, particularly as an athlete, because you don't have control of what people write.
“Many times this is a person who is betting and lost money - this seems to be a 'reason' for some of the abuse - but they should be aware that many of these messages are actually read.
“They have a bad impact and it's not helpful. They don't know what is going on in our lives. These people should stop and think it through.”
Abuse is not limited to tennis players, as England footballers Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were subjected to vile abuse after missing penalties during the Three Lions' loss to Italy in the final of Euro 2020.
Swiatek tries to stay away from social media during tournaments, but said that abuse can take a toll on individuals - and suggested anonymous posts are a sign of weakness from those sending the messages.
“We are human,” Swiatek said. “It is easy to write a message and push publish. But most of the time they wouldn't say it to our faces.
“I feel like it could be a sign of weakness and maybe it is worth changing perspective and notice that at both sides there are humans.
“I'm the kind of person who tries to avoid reading all the stuff sent to me. I don't usually use my phone too much during tournaments.
“So I'm not reading these kind of bad messages but I know some other players are.”
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