Caroline Garcia spoke out on Wednesday about abusive online messages she received following her loss to unseeded Renata Zarazua, blaming, among other things, “unhealthy gambling” for why she and other players of be targeted by angry internet users. Garcia also criticized social media platforms, saying they were not doing enough to filter abusive messages.
In expressing her criticism of online behavior fueled by degenerate gambling, Garcia compared the pervasive nature of the gambling industry and its promotion by sports organizations to previous times when tobacco companies were major advertisers at sporting events.
“Tournaments and sports continue to partner with betting companies that continue to attract new people for unhealthy bets,” she wrote. “The days of cigarette brands sponsoring sports are long gone. But here we are promoting betting companies that are actively destroying some people’s lives.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying they should be banned. But maybe we shouldn’t encourage them.”
Garcia also criticized online anonymity, mentioning that some of the offensive messages sent to her and her family could land people in legal trouble if they said them publicly. She received support for speaking out about her experiences, including from world No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys.
Although Garcia was a semifinalist at the US Open just two years ago, he lost 6-1, 6-4 on Tuesday to Zarazua, who had only previously reached the second round of a Grand Slam.
