Daria Kasatkina: Social media abuse ‘completely out of control’

Former world number eight Daria Kasatkina says the abuse received by players on social media is “completely out of control”.

One said she “should be dead”, with another blaming her for losing a bet.

Kasatkina’s experiences are yet another example of the online abuse which continues to be directed at players.

It is a long-standing problem which has affected tennis, where players report they are regularly targeted by gamblers, and other sports.

In May, American Taylor Townsend shared a screenshot of the death threat and racist abuse she received in an email after losing at the Italian Open.

At this year’s French Open, organisers offered players at the tournament artificial intelligence-protection from social media abuse.

The Bodyguard technology aimed to filter out abusive comments on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok and Discord.

Poland’s four-time major winner Iga Swiatek, who signed up to use the initiative, said it made “no sense to read” comments because they led to having “negative feelings and thoughts”.

Social media platforms have said they are committed to tackling abuse, with Instagram introducing a tool in 2021 to enable users to automatically filter out abusive messages from those they do not follow on the platform.

Earlier this year, a WTA spokesperson said the governing body works with a risk assessment and management company to shut down social media accounts when warranted.

“Player safety is the WTA’s number one priority,” the spokesperson added.

“The WTA has been working for several years to educate and counsel players on this issue, as the number of players affected continues to increase and it’s an important issue we take very seriously.”