American tennis player Sloane Stephens has become the latest major athlete to share on social media the personal burden of the relentless and “exhausting” attacks she’s faced. “I am human,” Stephens said on Instagram a day after flooding more than 2,000 “messages of abuse/anger” following Germany’s third-round loss to Angelique Kerber of the US Open. “It’s so hard to read messages like this, but I’ll post some so you guys can see what it’s like,” said Stephens, who, like many other black female athletes, has also expressed her concerns recently. Talked about the health that high pressure sports can take.
One of the abusive messages read: “I promise to find you and destroy your leg so hard you can’t walk anymore @sloanestephens! … I hope you enjoy your final moments in court today took.”
Stephens, who won the US Open in 2017 and was once ranked No. 3 in the world, commented: “This type of hate is so exhausting and never-ending. It’s not talked about enough, but it useless.”
His remarks came after intense focus on four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who pulled out of the French Open to Wimbledon this year over mental health issues she said was agitated by the harsh light of media attention.
Osaka’s case raised public awareness of the mental-health challenges facing professional athletes, particularly women and athletes of color.
Osaka said she is taking an indefinite break from tennis after she suffered a crushing loss to Canadian teenager Leyla Fernandez at the US Open on Friday.
Former junior world champion Taylor Townsend, who is African American, said in a video on CNN that she had also received disturbing social-media messages, calling her “a piece of s-” and “my body image”. He was criticized for “My Race”. The color of my skin.”
Stephens, on his part, said that he also received many positive messages for which he was grateful.
“I’m happy to have people in my corner who support me. I’m choosing positive vibes over negative ones… but it’s not always smiles and roses,” she told CNN.
On Sunday she wrote on Instagram that she hopes “this conversation will continue” while thanking fans for their “kind and thoughtful messages”.
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