Wimbledon hopeful Katie Boulter has revealed she is sent ‘astronomical levels’ of death threats and messages about her performance and how she looks.
The 28-year-old British number two explained how most of the abuse she receives comes from ‘people who are betting on the tennis’.
Speaking to the BBC, Katie said: ‘At the very start of my career, it was probably something I took very personally. Getting comments about the way you look or the way you’ve played or many other things.
‘As far as death threats, it’s just not something you want to be reading straight after an emotional loss, or even a lot of times you get it after you win as well. It depends which way the person has bet.’
Katie, who was yesterday knocked down from the top spot of Britain’s number one by Emma Raducanu, has been named as ‘one to watch’ at Wimbledon this year.
But the Leicestershire-born player fears the career defining event will bring in ‘astronomical’ levels of death threats and abuse.
She explained she had no idea exactly how many death threats and cruel messages she had received because her social media inbox ‘maxed out’ when it went past 100 messages.
‘This could also be on posts, it could be in your DMs, it could be pretty much anywhere, on Twitter, it could be anything,’ she added.
However, the successful young tennis star seems to have enough emotional intelligence to bat it off, as her response to all the poison thrown at her is almost empathetic
Wimbeldon hopeful Katie Boulter has revealed she is sent ‘astronomical levels’ of death threats and messages about her performance and how she looks
Katie had just lost a tie-break at the French Open when she checked her phone and saw a vile message from someone which read: ‘Hope you get cancer’
Another ordered her to buy ‘candles and a coffin’ for her ‘entire family’ with the money she ‘earned from the rigged match’
Katie had just lost a tie-break at the French Open when she checked her phone and saw a vile message from someone which read: ‘Hope you get cancer’.
Another ordered her to buy ‘candles and a coffin’ for her ‘entire family’ with the money she ‘earned from the rigged match’. The bully also called her a ‘corrupt player’ and threatened to damage her ‘grandmother’s grave if she’s not dead by tomorrow’.
A third message from an angry gambler said: ‘Go to hell, I lost money my mother sent me.’
‘Most FK clown player ever YOU WERE 3-0 in the tiebreak HOW CAN YOU DO IT THAT WAY ***** TRASH,’ yet another cruel message read.
However, the successful young tennis star seems to have enough emotional intelligence to bat it off, as her response to all the poison thrown at her is almost empathetic.
‘I just wonder who the person is that has sent that,’ she said, ‘I think I just wonder if they’re in that tough of a place. I don’t think it’s something that I would ever say to my worst enemy, let alone to anyone at all or even think it. It’s just an awful, awful thing to say to anyone. It’s horrible, it really is.’
She said the levels of hatred sent to her and other sport stars shows ‘how vulnerable we are’, adding: ‘You really don’t know if this person is on site. You really don’t know if they’re nearby or if they know where you live or anything like that.’
Despite being able to ignore the comments now, Katie admits she worries for the next generation of tennis players.
‘I don’t personally love getting those messages but it’s something that I just flick to the side now and I don’t see too much, but I’m obviously well aware that the youngsters that are coming up are also going to be receiving these messages and that might have more of an impact on them,’ she said.
