MONTREAL, Canada — Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has condemned the online abuse she received after her recent loss at the National Bank Open. Following her defeat to Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals, Svitolina shared screenshots of hateful messages on Instagram. The messages included death threats and comments celebrating violence against Ukrainians amid the ongoing war in her home country.

Svitolina lost the match in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, on Tuesday. In her Instagram post, she highlighted the racial slurs directed at her husband, Gael Monfils, a French tennis player who is Black. One particularly disturbing message wished for Russia to "kill all you (expletive) Ukrainians."

In her response, Svitolina emphasized her identity as a mother, stating, "To all the bettors: I’m a mum before I’m an athlete. The way you talk to women — to mothers — is SHAMEFUL. If your mothers saw your messages, they’d be disgusted."

This incident follows similar experiences faced by other players. Earlier this year, British player Katie Boulter reported receiving death threats during the French Open, which targeted her and her family. Both the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) have urged betting companies to take action against the rising tide of online abuse directed at players.

Boulter noted that online harassment has become commonplace, suggesting that many abusive messages originate from individuals placing bets on matches. This sentiment aligns with a recent report from the WTA and ITF, which revealed that 458 tennis players were subjected to over 8,000 abusive comments and posts on social media in 2024. The report indicated that 40% of this abuse was attributed to "angry gamblers."

Svitolina's experience highlights the urgent need for measures to protect athletes from online harassment, particularly in the context of sports betting.