Elena Rybakina has explained why she stepped away from social media while speaking to reporters in Berlin during the grass-court swing.
The Kazakh player said abusive comments after defeats had become too much to handle and that stepping back was the best way to protect herself.
Her comments come as tennis continues to deal with online abuse directed at players, with authorities linking some messages to frustrated gamblers.
Elena Rybakina says social media comments became ‘too much’
Rybakina explained why she had stepped away from social media after questions were raised about her accounts being deactivated.
“I usually don’t pay much attention, but this time it was too much,” Rybakina said.
She noted that players are often expected to maintain a social media presence as part of their careers, but added that she did not want her pages to become a place for comments after losses.
Rybakina also said she did not want to spend the whole day cleaning up Instagram, even with people helping her manage messages and comments.
“For me, it’s fine to stay away from social media,” she added.
Tennis players have repeatedly spoken about online abuse
Rybakina is not the first leading tennis player to speak publicly about the effect of abusive messages online.
Caroline Garcia has also spoken publicly about online abuse after receiving messages following her US Open defeat.
Iga Swiatek has called for more tools to help players deal with abuse, saying tennis authorities needed to give players better protection.
The WTA and ITF published a season-wide report on online abuse and threats, with tennis authorities calling on the gambling industry to act.
For Rybakina, the immediate decision was to step away from the platforms and keep her attention on the tournaments ahead.
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