Carlos Alcaraz makes sad admission as British tennis star goes public
Carlos Alcaraz makes sad admission as British tennis star goes public
Katie Boulter has been a victim of online abuse throughout her career and has called for better protection for players after widespread threats against her and her family
Carlos Alcaraz
(Image: 2025 Getty Images )
Tennis star Carlos Alcaraz has opened up about his struggles with social media trolls, in light of British player Katie Boulter's stark revelations regarding the severe online abuse prevalent in the sport.
28 year old Boulter recently called for greater protections against vile online abuse after suffering a barrage of threatening messages, including disturbing wishes for her to contract cancer and threats directed at her relatives. In a candid discussion with BBC Sport, she laid bare the distressing reality that receiving hateful messages is now commonplace in her career, highlighting an alarming increase in such negativity over time.
Spanish prodigy Alcaraz, who at 22 years old already boasts five Grand Slam titles, also faces the toxic underbelly of high-profile sportsmanship, enduring online harassment especially when he doesn't triumph on the court.
During a press conference, Alcaraz spoke out, saying: "Yes, I receive it. Obviously, when you've lost, you receive a lot of messages," acknowledging the mixed content of these messages – some supportive and others far from it.
Reflecting on the emotional toll this aspect of fame can take, Alcaraz shared: "I learned when I lose not to see social media that much because sometimes, when I did, when I lose a match in the first round or lose a match I shouldn't have, and I saw the messages, it affected me a lot.", reports the Mirror US.
Concluding, the young champion revealed his coping strategy involves distancing himself from social platforms during challenging times, stating: "Sometimes, it's difficult to deal with it, so I learned with experience that when I lose or things are not going pretty good, not to see social media that much.
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"As professional athletes, we have to deal with it the best way possible, and if I have to give advice, not to see social media when things are not going well because people sometimes can be really dangerous."
While Boulter prepares to defend her title at the Nottingham Open and Alcaraz aims to triumph at Queen's, both athletes are aware they may face hostile messages regardless of their performances.
"I think it just kind of shows how vulnerable we are," Boulter said. "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."
Boulter revealed that she receives an "astronomical" number of abusive messages during Wimbledon. However, her willingness to speak out has encouraged other players to share their experiences.
Boulter's partner, world No. 12 Alex de Minaur, has highlighted the "dark side" of social media, while British player Jack Draper has expressed concerns about the impact on the next generation of athletes.
Meanwhile, British No. 4 Harriet Dart has proposed a potential solution.
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"This isn't just a tennis issue. This is a global issue, and it's not just a sport issue," Dart told BBC Sport. "It's everywhere. Regular people also get trolled by certain individuals.
"We live in the 21st Century, and are we not ID-ing people on social media. You can connect people, and then people can be found and stuff. Because it's pretty horrific, the abuse that all of us get. That's why I feel like a lot of the time, social media can be like a big negative."
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