Caroline Garcia’s Shocking Reveal: Death Threats and Hate Mail Flood Her Inbox After US Open Loss

Caroline Garcia, currently ranked 30th in the world and representing France, recently voiced severe concerns after revealing the hateful messages from fans following her first-round loss at the US Open tennis tournament. On Thursday, Garcia revealed on social media that she had been bombarded with “hundreds of malicious messages” after the defeat, highlighting the alarming nature of the backlash.

She shared that some of the messages were shockingly extreme, including sentiments telling her to “go kill yourself” and expressing wishes for her mother’s death. Garcia lost to Renata Zarazúa, ranked 92nd, from Mexico, in the first round of the US Open, 6-1, 6-4.

Born in 1993, Garcia once ranked as high as 4th in the world in 2018. Despite her experience, this recent defeat has triggered a wave of aggressive online abuse. She admitted, “And now, being 30 years old, although they still hurt because, at the end of the day, I’m just a normal girl working really hard and trying my best. I have tools and have done work to protect myself from this hate. But still, this is not OK.” She also expressed concerns that such attacks could affect younger players even more.

Garcia speculated that these messages likely came from individuals who lost money while betting on sports. She pointed out the growing trend of sports organizations receiving sponsorship from betting companies, contrasting it with the disappearance of tobacco companies from sports sponsorships.

Garcia called for improvements regarding online anonymity, arguing, “If someone decided to say this thing to me in public, he could have legal issues. So why online we are free to do anything? Shouldn’t we reconsider anonymity online?”

ESPN reported that the 2022 French Open partnered with a service that filters players’ social media accounts. It noted that the US Open and Wimbledon have also started monitoring threatening content.

Although Garcia doubts that revealing the messages she received will change this behavior, she emphasized the importance of recognizing that athletes and celebrities are human beings, too. Jessica Pegula, ranked sixth in the world and representing the USA, showed her support by commenting on Garcia’s post, stating, “The constant death threats and family threats are normal now. Win or lose.”