Carolina Garcia, a French tennis player who surprisingly lost to Mexican Renata Zarazua at the US Open on Tuesday, shared a post on social media imploring critics to be mindful of their words.
Garcia, the 28th-ranked women's singles player entering the final Grand Slam of the year, shared a heartfelt message across all of her social media platforms on Wednesday, saying she has been receiving horrible messages following the straight-sets loss.
“These are some of the messages I've been getting lately after losing a few games. Just a few. There are hundreds,” Garcia said, while sharing some messages on her X post that she's been receiving. “And now, being 30 years old, even though they still hurt, because at the end of the day, I'm a normal girl who works really hard and does the best she can, I have tools and I've worked to protect myself from this hate. But still, this is not right.
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Caroline Garcia of France serves against Renata Zarazua of Mexico during their women's singles first round match on day two of the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 27, 2024 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
“I'm very concerned about the younger players coming up who have to go through this. People who haven't fully developed as human beings yet and who could really be affected by this hate. You might think it doesn't hurt us, but it does. We're human and sometimes when we get these messages we're already emotionally destroyed after a tough loss and it can be damaging. Many before me have raised the issue and still no progress has been made.”
Some of the messages Garcia showed he receives say: “You are a piece of shit” and “A clown belongs in the circus.”
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Garcia, who has been open about her struggles in the past, including her battle with bulimia, mentioned how tennis betting has worsened these messages, among other things.
“Social media platforms are not stopping this, even though AI is at a very advanced position. Tournaments and sports continue to partner with gambling companies, which continue to attract new people to harmful betting. The days of cigarette brands sponsoring sports are long gone. Yet here we are promoting gambling companies, which are actively destroying some people's lives,” Garcia wrote.
Caroline Garcia of France returns to Renata Zarazua of Mexico during their women's singles first round match on day two of the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 27, 2024 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
“Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they should be banned, as people are free to do whatever they want with their money. But maybe we shouldn't promote them. Besides, if someone decided to say these things to me in public, I might get into legal trouble. So why are we free to do whatever we want on the Internet? Shouldn't we reconsider anonymity on the Internet?”
Garcia understands that these hate messages are likely to continue coming, but as she mentioned, it is not acceptable to continue seeing them.
So as she prepares for her doubles match with American partner Danielle Collins at the US Open after being eliminated from the women's singles tournament, she hopes to spread a message of kindness.
Caroline Garcia of France during pre-US Open practice at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 22, 2024 in New York City. (Robert Prange/Getty Images)
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“I know that those who write these terrible messages will not change because of this,” she wrote. “But maybe you, the next time you see a post from an athlete, singer or anyone else who has failed or lost, will remember that he or she is also a human being trying to do the best they can in life.
“Be kind. Give love. Enjoy life.”
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