The world of sports is full of passion, pressure, and high stakes—not just for the players, but for the fans too. While competition is meant to celebrate skill and resilience, it can sometimes bring out the worst in spectators, especially when emotions run high. After the quarterfinals showdown at Montreal on Tuesday, Elina Svitolina found herself at the receiving end of unwarranted backlash—not for losing, but for winning.
At the Canadian Open, Svitolina won her quarterfinals match against America’s Madison Keys in straight sets 6-2, 6-2! Taking down the 2025 AO champion was huge. As she heads into the semis at the 1000s event, online critics stormed her DMs and rained on her parade.
Svitolina took to her Instagram story to call out the abuse. “To all the bettors: I’m a mom before I’m an athlete. The way you talk to women – to mothers – is SHAMEFUL. If your moms saw your messages, they’d be disgusted…” She posted screenshots of the hateful messages. Australian pro Nick Kyrgios replied on X with a simple, one-word shake of the head: “Disgusting. ”
Disgusting. https://t.co/Ntgs709qha
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) August 6, 2025
The WTA star has always been a vocal advocate for mental health and respect in sport. She shared how the hateful messages attacked both her performance and her personal life. Elina, who came back to tennis in 2023 after giving birth in 2022, called out this toxic behavior, stressing the lack of decency and respect. By speaking out, she demanded greater accountability and urged the online sports world to change how athletes—especially women and mothers—are treated.
Her husband, Gael Monfils, has dealt with the same thing. The fan-favorite ATP star did not hold back after losing to Alex Michelsen at the Stuttgart Open. Even after going down 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 as the underdog to the 20-year-old No. 7 seed, what stood out was Monfils’ fiery comeback to the brutal online hate. Some fans even wished him a broken leg or a career-ending injury. Monfils didn’t miss a beat. He served up a hilarious, sharp reply on Instagram and proved he doesn’t take trolls too seriously.
He started strong: “Hey guys, it’s not financial advice, but really, you’re still betting on me? First tournament on grass, I play Alex Michelsen, 20 years old, and you wanna bet on me?” Then he didn’t let up: “You are writing that I’m st. I know I’m st. We both know I’m s**t and you still bet on me? Who is the dumbest between you and me, to be honest? No, come on.” On the injury wishes, Monfils set the record straight: “By the way, my legs already cracked many times. I’ve played with a broken leg already. So don’t pray for that, but the thing is, I’m not suffering, sorry!”
Pro athletes everywhere know this pattern all too well. Former World No. 1 Iga Swiatek dealt with it in her own way. On August 11 last year, just after winning Olympic bronze in Paris, she explained to WP SportoweFakty, “I don’t feel like answering or explaining, because I realize that a lot of people support me and I wouldn’t be able to explain everything. I simply accept that such things are a part of my life.”
For many players, hateful messages are just part of the game. Sometimes, the best move is to laugh it off or focus on what really matters. Kyrgios may have dropped just a one-word response for Svitolina, but he’s also spoken up before about the sting and damage anonymous online hate can cause.
Nick Kyrgios gets real about online hate
Back in 2022, the Aussie kicked off the year on a high note, capturing the Australian Open men’s doubles crown with his partner, Thanasi Kokkinakis. He rolled that momentum into Indian Wells, making it to the quarterfinals, and kept the fire burning by reaching the pre-quarterfinals at the Miami Open. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing—his fiery on-court antics sparked plenty of social media backlash.
Nick Kyrgios later opened up about the darker side of the limelight in an honest interview. He shared, “It’s not always easy. It’s so accessible now to go on your phone, social media, Twitter, Instagram, and just go to messages and comments and you see so much negativity. You may not take it in but subconsciously it’s still going into your brain and dealing with hecklers.” The online heat can get intense, even if you try to brush it off.
Kyrgios has also stood up for fellow players, like Naomi Osaka. He spoke out strongly against the heckling she faced during her Indian Wells match. He described what many athletes silently endure: “I deal with it all the time. People just think raising the finger, abusing someone, or making racist comments is acceptable in this day and age and I just don’t think that’s acceptable at all. Now you just have to use it as motivation, but that’s easier said than done.”
Online hate shows no sign of fading soon. But with more players raising their voices against such toxic behavior, maybe the tide will turn. What’s your take? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
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