Iga Swiatek Advocates for Enhanced Tools to Combat Online Abuse in Tennis
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Swiatek calls for more tools to help players combat online abuse
"It would be nice if we can do more as (Garcia) did and try to educate people," Swiatek says Five-times Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek on Thursday called for the sport's governing bodies to provide players with more tools to combat online abuse after Caroline Garcia spoke about the hate she received on the internet. On Wednesday, Frenchwoman Garcia said she received online abuse after her first-round loss at the US Open and blamed "unhealthy betting" as one of the main reasons players are targeted on social media. The ITF, WTA, AELTC and USTA in December launched a monitoring service named Threat Matrix, which uses a combination of artificial intelligence and open-source data, to help protect their athletes. The French Open has also made AI-powered software available for players, which is designed to block online harassment and hate speech. "It would be nice if we can do more as (Garcia) did and try to educate people. Also maybe in the future, have some solutions such as using AI to make it safer for us," Swiatek told reporters after her victory over Ena Shibahara. "I feel like we can't be on the internet and feel safe anymore. You have to really be careful on what you're reading, who you're following. I know that there are some tools that, for example, Roland Garros offered for us. "This app that we can have on the phone, and it's going to block the hateful messages. It's also going to learn with you when you're going to tag some messages as hateful or comments, you know... It would be nice if we had more opportunities to use these kind of tools." World number six Jessica Pegula said she had done her best to avoid looking at comments on her personal social media, but still received abuse through the account made for her skincare brand. "There was this girl that does my social media for my company Ready 24, and she said 'you know, you're getting a lot of really bad messages'," Pegula told reporters. "I laughed because it's so normal for me. I'm like, 'Oh, no, don't worry, it's nothing.' She was gravely concerned that I was getting death threats... It's not normal, but it's totally normal for us. It's so bad that it's come to that point." Men's world number one Jannik Sinner, who has been under intense scrutiny at the US Open over a doping case even though he was cleared of wrongdoing, said receiving hateful messages was part of being an athlete. "I'm not so much on socials, especially in the last period. I try to not look. I know that there are some negative messages, but it's something you have to be careful about," Sinner told reporters after his win over Alex Michelsen. "Especially when you are younger because you care a lot about your reputation, but then at the end of the day, that's why you have the close ones and they know you as a person and as an athlete. "My advice is always to stick with them because they are very honest with you." Russian Karen Khachanov, who was beaten by Britain's Dan Evans on Tuesday, urged people to be respectful and not "strike a man when he is down". "I will be grateful for all the support that I get," he added in post on Instagram. "Let's be kind to one another. Less hate and more love and the world will become a better place."
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Swiatek calls for more tools to combat online abuse
Women's world No. 1 Iga Swiatek on Thursday called for tennis' governing bodies to provide players with more tools to combat online abuse after Caroline Garcia wrote about the hateful messages she has received on social media following recent losses. Garcia offered examples of just a few of those derogatory messages Wednesday on X, noting in her post that there were "hundreds." She pointed to "unhealthy betting" as one of the reasons players are targeted on social media. The French Open partnered in 2022 with a company that uses artificial intelligence to filter players' social media accounts, and the groups that run the US Open, Wimbledon, the women's tour and the lower-level ITF Tour announced in December that they were starting a service to monitor for "abusive and threatening content" on X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and TikTok. "It would be nice if we can do more as (Garcia) did and try to educate people. Also maybe in the future, have some solutions such as using AI to make it safer for us," Swiatek told reporters after her second-round win over Ena Shibahara. "I feel like we can't be on the Internet and feel safe anymore. You have to really be careful on what you're reading, who you're following. I know that there are some tools that, for example, Roland Garros offered for us. "This app that we can have on the phone, and it's going to block the hateful messages. It's also going to learn with you when you're going to tag some messages as hateful. ... It would be nice if we had more opportunities to use these kind of tools." Men's world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who has been under scrutiny at the US Open over a doping case for which he was cleared of wrongdoing, said receiving hateful messages is part of being an athlete. "I'm not so much on socials, especially in the last period. I try to not look. I know that there are some negative messages, but it's something you have to be careful about," Sinner told reporters after his win over Alex Michelsen. "Especially when you are younger because you care a lot about your reputation, but then at the end of the day, that's why you have the close ones and they know you as a person and as an athlete. "My advice is always to stick with them because they are very honest with you." Russian Karen Khachanov -- who was beaten Tuesday by Britain's Daniel Evans in a marathon 5:35 first-round match, the longest ever at the US Open -- urged people to be respectful and not "strike a man when he is down." "I will be grateful for all the support that I get," he added in post on Instagram. "Let's be kind to one another. Less hate and more love and the world will become a better place."
[3]
Tennis-Swiatek calls for more tools to help players combat online abuse
The ITF, WTA, AELTC and USTA in December launched a monitoring service named Threat Matrix, which uses a combination of artificial intelligence and open-source data, to help protect their athletes. The French Open has also made AI-powered software available for players, which is designed to block online harassment and hate speech. "It would be nice if we can do more as (Garcia) did and try to educate people. Also maybe in the future, have some solutions such as using AI to make it safer for us," Swiatek told reporters after her victory over Ena Shibahara. "I feel like we can't be on the internet and feel safe anymore. You have to really be careful on what you're reading, who you're following. I know that there are some tools that, for example, Roland Garros offered for us. "This app that we can have on the phone, and it's going to block the hateful messages. It's also going to learn with you when you're going to tag some messages as hateful or comments, you know... It would be nice if we had more opportunities to use these kind of tools." Men's world number one Jannik Sinner, who has been under intense scrutiny at the U.S. Open over a doping case even though he was cleared of wrongdoing, said receiving hateful messages was part of being an athlete. "I'm not so much on socials, especially in the last period. I try to not look. I know that there are some negative messages, but it's something you have to be careful about," Sinner told reporters after his win over Alex Michelsen. "Especially when you are younger because you care a lot about your reputation, but then at the end of the day, that's why you have the close ones and they know you as a person and as an athlete. "My advice is always to stick with them because they are very honest with you." Russian Karen Khachanov, who was beaten by Britain's Dan Evans on Tuesday, urged people to be respectful and not "strike a man when he is down". "I will be grateful for all the support that I get," he added in post on Instagram. "Let's be kind to one another. Less hate and more love and the world will become a better place." (Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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World No. 1 tennis player Iga Swiatek calls for more robust measures to protect athletes from online abuse. She emphasizes the need for better tools and support systems to address the growing issue in professional sports.
Swiatek's Call to Action
World No. 1 tennis player Iga Swiatek has raised her voice against the pervasive issue of online abuse in professional tennis. The Polish star emphasized the urgent need for more effective tools to combat the growing problem, which affects athletes across various sports
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.The Extent of Online Abuse
Swiatek revealed that she and her team regularly report and block abusive messages, particularly after losses. However, she noted that the current measures are insufficient to address the scale of the problem. The 22-year-old champion stressed that online abuse is not exclusive to tennis but is a widespread issue affecting athletes in numerous sports
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.Impact on Athletes' Mental Health
The four-time Grand Slam winner highlighted the potential psychological impact of online abuse on athletes. Swiatek expressed concern about the vulnerability of younger players who may be more susceptible to the negative effects of such harassment. She emphasized the importance of protecting athletes' mental well-being in the face of this digital onslaught
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.Current Measures and Their Limitations
While acknowledging the existence of some protective measures, Swiatek pointed out their limitations. She mentioned that players can opt to receive only messages from people they follow, but this restricts positive interactions with fans as well. The tennis star called for more sophisticated tools that can effectively filter out abusive content while maintaining open channels of communication with supporters
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Collaborative Efforts for Change
Swiatek emphasized the need for a collective effort to address the issue. She suggested that players, sports organizations, and social media platforms should work together to develop more robust solutions. The world No. 1 expressed hope that by speaking out, she could contribute to raising awareness and spurring action to combat online abuse in sports
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.The Broader Context of Athlete Welfare
This call for action comes amid growing concerns about athlete welfare in professional sports. Swiatek's advocacy aligns with a broader movement to protect athletes' mental health and ensure a safe environment both on and off the court. Her stance highlights the evolving challenges faced by modern athletes in the digital age and the need for sports governing bodies to adapt their support systems accordingly
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