Five-time 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, French 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.
“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.”
The French Open has made AI-powered software available for players, which blocks online harassment and hate speech.
Tennis bodies in December had launched a monitoring service named Threat Matrix.