Iga Swiatek Urges for Enhanced Anti-Abuse Tools in Tennis

Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek has called for greater support from sports governing bodies to combat online abuse, following Caroline Garcia's disclosure of the online hate she received. The French Open and other organizations have introduced AI-powered tools to protect athletes from online harassment. Players like Jessica Pegula and Jannik Sinner also shared their experiences with online abuse.

Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek on Thursday called on the sport's governing bodies to provide players with more tools to combat online abuse, following French player Caroline Garcia's account of the hate she received on the internet.

Frenchwoman Garcia revealed that she faced online abuse after her first-round loss at the U.S. Open, attributing it in part to 'unhealthy betting.' In December, the ITF, WTA, AELTC, and USTA launched a monitoring service called Threat Matrix to use AI and open-source data to protect athletes.

The French Open has also offered AI-powered software to block online harassment and hate speech. 'It would be nice if we could do more to educate people and provide solutions like AI to make online spaces safer,' Swiatek told reporters after defeating Ena Shibahara.

World number six Jessica Pegula and men's world number one Jannik Sinner also spoke about their own experiences with online hate. Pegula said she received abusive messages through her skincare brand's social media, while Sinner commented that dealing with negative messages is part of being an athlete.

Russian player Karen Khachanov urged for kindness and respect among people, emphasizing that athletes greatly appreciate the support they receive.

(With inputs from agencies.)