Lost to World No. 361 at French Open on June 2
Reveals Some of the Malicious Comments Received on Social Media
Jessica Pegula (ranked 3rd, USA), who suffered a shocking defeat to the world No. 361 player in the women's singles round of 16 at the French Open tennis tournament, is being tormented by malicious comments that have crossed the line from some online users.
On June 6 (local time), the British media outlet Daily Mail reported, "Pegula is struggling with malicious comments from fans on social networking services (SNS) after her elimination in the round of 16." On June 2, at the French Open women's singles round of 16 held in Paris, France, Pegula lost in a come-from-behind defeat to Lois Boasson (ranked 361st, France) by a score of 1-2 (6-3, 4-6, 4-6).
On the 2nd (local time) at the French Open tennis tournament, Jessica Pegula is playing against Lois Boasson. Photo by EPA Yonhap News
Afterward, Pegula revealed some of the malicious messages she received from thoughtless individuals through her Instagram Stories and other channels. For example, in a post mourning the passing of Pegula's pet dog last May, one user commented, "You lost the match on purpose. I hope your first child is stillborn as karma." Other hateful comments she disclosed included, "It's actually good for Tucker (the dog's name) that he doesn't have to be with a loser like you," and, "There must be a tree somewhere in the world working really hard just to produce the oxygen you waste." Another malicious commenter even posted a photo of a card with the words "You Die" written on it.
One user criticized Pegula by saying, "Stop playing tennis and just live off your father's money. You are the most useless top 10 player ever." Pegula's father is Terry Pegula, a billionaire and owner of the Buffalo Bills football team. After sharing various examples of malicious comments, Pegula criticized these users, calling them "crazy people lost in delusion."
She went on to say, "I don't allow direct messages (DMs), and I try to close the comment section during tournaments, but (malicious users) always seem to target the timeline," adding, "Is it this bad in other sports as well? Or is it something that only happens in tennis? It's really uncomfortable." She continued, "Most players on tour experience this. It's truly serious," and added, "We often hear from these people that our families should die of cancer, which is absolutely outrageous."
Pegula stated, "I know that athletes in other sports also suffer from malicious comments, threats, and stalking. However, the current situation feels a hundred times worse," and explained, "I receive these (malicious) messages every time, whether I win or lose. That's because there are people betting on both sides."
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