The 2024 season has been a difficult one for No. 28 ranked Caroline Garcia, who was shockingly beat in the first round of the US Open this week by unranked Renata Zarazua of Mexico in straight sets. Garcia is one of the better players on the WTA Tour but the results aren't consistent right now.

Even the best go through their ups and downs, but it doesn't give fans an excuse to be hateful on social media. Garcia took to X on Wednesday morning and revealed that she's received numerous nasty messages amid her poor campaign.

“These are some of the messages I received lately after losing some matches. Just a few of them. There’s hundreds,” Caroline Garcia said.  “And now, being 30 years old, although they still hurt, because at the end of the day, I’m just a normal girl working really hard and trying my best, I have tools and have done work to protect myself from this hate. But still, this is not ok. It really worries me when I think about younger players coming up, that have to go through this. People that still haven’t yet developed fully as a human and that really might be affected by this hate. Maybe you can think that it doesn’t hurt us. But it does. We are humans. And sometimes, when we receive this messages we are already emotionally destroyed after a tough loss. And they can be damaging. Many before me have raised the subject. And still, no progress has been made.

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Social media platforms don’t prevent it, despite AI being in a very advanced position. Tournaments and the sport keeps partnering with betting companies, which keep attracting new people to unhealthy betting. The days of cigarette brands sponsoring sports are long gone. Yet, here we are promoting betting companies, which actively destroy the life of some people. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying they should be banned as people are free to do whatever they want with their money. But maybe we should not promote them. Also, if someone decided to say this things to me in public, he could have legal issues. So why online we are free to do anything? Shouldn’t we reconsider anonymity online? I know those who write these terrible messages won’t change because of this. But maybe you, next time you see a post from an athlete, singer or any other person, that has failed or lost, you will remember that she or he is also a human being, trying his best in life. Be kind. Give love. Enjoy life.”

Absolutely unacceptable that Garcia has received “hundreds” of similar messages just because she isn't playing as well this year. Her point about sports betting is interesting because fans and just people in general get very intense about losing their money and it results in verbal abuse online. Like Garcia said, you wouldn't get away with these remarks in person. They're simply keyboard heroes.

The 3o-year-old owns a 14-11 record in '24. Caroline Garcia failed to get past the second round in the Aussie Open, Wimbledon, and French Open as well. Knowing her resume, there's no question Garcia will come back stronger and use her forgettable season as motivation. As for the messages, they need to stop ASAP because after all, Garcia and every other professional athlete is human. No one deserves to be slandered in such a way just for losing some tennis matches.

This issue is bigger than the sport itself.