Elina Svitolina lost her quarterfinal match to Naomi Osaka in straight sets on Tuesday night at the National Bank Open in Montreal, Canada. Svitolina has quietly had an outstanding season including quarterfinal finishes at the Australian Open and French Open along with a WTA title win at April’s Rouen Open.
Tennis players cannot win them all, and when they lose, they should not be heckled on the internet by fans and bettors alike.
Svitolina is the latest victim of this, and she bravely took to social media calling out the “shameful” behavior.
What People Wrote To Elina Svitolina
I cannot bear to share the vile quotes, but I can tell you that they have to do with Svitolina‘s appearance, her country Ukraine’s war, and her tennis game.
To call them awful is an understatement.
Svitolina has a young daughter and says that she is a mother first before an athlete. She condemned these people for the way they speak to women and mothers. Svitolina added that their mothers would be disgusted by the comments.
Elina Svitolina exposed the abusive, hateful messages and horrific threats she received from bettors after her loss to Naomi Osaka in Montreal.
She called out the vile treatment of women and mothers in sport.
Disgraceful behavior from so-called “fans” 🤬 pic.twitter.com/PUw7NHJRAS
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) August 6, 2025
Kudos to Svitolina for using her role as a mother and peacemaker to set people straight. We can only hope it helps because this toxic environment, whether it originates from gamblers or disgruntled fans, is not good for anyone or the sport.
Hopefully Naomi Osaka, a fellow mother who has worked hard to advocate for mental health, hears how Svitolina was treated and supports her. Unfortunately, this behavior may never end, but the players sticking up for each other could be the only positive byproduct of it.
