Tennis player Elina Svitolina faces hateful abuse after loss, blames “shameful” bettors

Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has spoken out about the deluge of hateful abuse she received online from frustrated gamblers after losing a match in Canada, including messages wishing her death and celebrating Russia killing her compatriots.

Following her straight-sets loss to Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals of the National Bank Open on Tuesday night, Svitolina posted screenshots of the messages on Instagram.

The abuse was directed at her, while other racial slurs also targeted her husband, the French tennis player Gaël Monfils, who is Black. One abuser hoped that Russia “kills all you (expletive) Ukrainians” in the war raging in Svitolina’s country.