Jack Draper has become the latest player to discuss online abuse, which remains a significant issue in tennis and sports more broadly.
Draper received much-deserved praise for his efforts throughout the 2024 season. It was a breakthrough year for the 22-year-old and cemented his status as a possible Grand Slam winner.
The Briton reached the semifinal of this year's US Open, not dropping a set in any of his five victories at Flushing Meadows. Jannik Sinner, the eventual US Open champion, proved too strong in the semifinal.
Draper won two titles in 2024. The first was on grass at the Stuttgart Open, where he defeated the former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini in a thrilling three-set battle in the final.
His Vienna Open triumph in October was even more significant since it is an ATP 500-level tournament. Draper produced an incredible performance against Karen Khachanov to triumph in Austria.
Although he had an excellent season, Draper has ambitions of getting even better in 2024. After winning the Vienna Open, the young star boldly claimed that he wants to shake up Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner next season.
Draper will be able to test how realistic those hopes are during the off-season. A one-week training camp with Alcaraz has been organized, which should give him the perfect preparation for 2025.
In a world without anger or bitterness, Draper would only be respected for his superb achievements in 2024, and fans would wish him well for 2025 and beyond since he is very entertaining to watch.
Unfortunately, that is a fantasy that will never happen. Athletes are among the groups social media trolls target the most, and tennis players are no exception to the vitriol expressed by many worldwide.
Draper discussed that reality in a recent interview with The Guardian. He admitted to receiving much online abuse but notes that the problem is even more severe for the women on the WTA Tour.
"My first pro match in 2018, I think I won love and love [6-0, 6-0], and I was a horrible person – they were going to find my mum. It’s every match, whether you win or lose, you get hundreds of messages from people and you can’t really stop it."
"If I lose a match these days, just go on my latest Instagram account – you’ll probably see about 100 messages with clown emojis and snakes and all this sort of stuff. You can’t control it. Everyone has it, and especially the girls. The girls get it way worse than the guys."
Many other players have spoken about the issue. Osaka, an advocate of mental health awareness, admits she is still learning how to manage social media abuse despite being a professional for several years.
Thanasi Kokkinakis recently took aim at Novak Djokovic's online fans. He said they were easy to spot because they had crocodile emojis in their bios and were constantly abusive to players.
There is nothing wrong with passionately supporting someone, but being abusive toward another player should never be deemed acceptable.