Following her loss to Emma Raducanu in straight sets, Shelby Rogers called out the toxic nature of social media, saying that she’ll now have to deal with strangers who are upset about her loss.
“I’m going to have nine million death threats,” she said.
She added that she wished “social media didn’t exist,” as she spoke about the added spotlight she has been under since upsetting world No. 1 Ash Barty.
“Obviously we appreciate the spotlight in those moments, but then you have today and I’m going to have nine million death threats and whatnot,” she said in the post-match news conference. “It’s very much polarizing, one extreme to the other very quickly.”
She added that while she tries not to pay attention to comments, “it does get to your head sometimes.”
“You could probably go through my profile right now — I’m probably a ‘fat pig’ and words that I can’t say right now,” Rogers said. “But, it is what it is. You try not to take it to heart, and it’s the unfortunate side of any sport and what we do.”
Rogers’ comments echo those expressed by former US Open champion Sloane Stephens earlier in the week. Following her third-round loss to Angelique Kerber, Stephens called the abusive and harassing messages “exhausting and never-ending.”
Rogers took to Twitter on Tuesday to then clarify some of her statements.
“It wasn’t the intention for my 1 exaggerated statement to be highlighted,” she wrote. “I just always try to answer the press truthfully. The amount of positive support I get vastly overshadows the online abuse but it’s important to be aware that it does exist so we can prepare & deal with it.”
Being a pro tennis player was my dream as a young girl & I just want others to know that it’s a dream worth having. I want you to play this sport, fall in love with tennis, & not worry that it’s toxic or miserable. I am so grateful for what tennis has given me…— Shelby Rogers (@Shelby_Rogers_) September 7, 2021
Being a pro tennis player was my dream as a young girl & I just want others to know that it’s a dream worth having. I want you to play this sport, fall in love with tennis, & not worry that it’s toxic or miserable. I am so grateful for what tennis has given me…
She added that she wanted young girls to know that being a pro tennis player “is a dream worth having.”
“I want you to play this sport, fall in love with tennis, & not worry that it’s toxic or miserable,” she continued, stating that she “wouldn’t trade the highs and lows for anything.”
Instead, she hopes that bringing to light the negativity surrounding social media can help “teach each other how to beat it.”
I’ll never run away from the negativity - it’s the reality of social media/gambling/sport but maybe we can expose it and teach each other how to beat it.— Shelby Rogers (@Shelby_Rogers_) September 7, 2021
I’ll never run away from the negativity - it’s the reality of social media/gambling/sport but maybe we can expose it and teach each other how to beat it.