Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has come out in support of Elina Svitolina, who has been receiving death threats following the Ukrainian’s quarterfinal exit in Montreal. She suffered a 6-2, 6-2 defeat at the hands of Naomi Osaka, who advanced to the semifinal of the Canadian Open.
In the aftermath, Svitolina has received abusive and threatening messages from angry bettors upset over the result. Screenshots shared by her showcased horrific comments from bettors. Many of those comments were laced with misogyny, racism and cruel threats. Some messages included violent language and even xenophobic slurs.
Seeing this, Nick Kyrgios was upset with such messages and vented out in one word:
"Disgusting. ☹️"
Svitolina has also hit back at those detractors trying to demean her and post violent messages. According to The Tennis Letter, she said:
“To all the bettors: I'm a mom before I'm an athlete. The way you talk to women - to mothers - is SHAMEFUL. If your moms saw your messages, they'd be disgusted...”
What's next for Elina Svitolina after Montreal exit
Naomi Osaka outclassed Elina Svitolina on several fronts in the straight-set defeat. Svitolina committed four double faults and could convert only one of five break points. Meanwhile, Osaka was able to win four of six break points.
In the post-match conference, Osaka said that she expected a tough fight from the Ukrainian.
"I mean, I never really care about the stats of the person I'm playing," Osaka said, via ASAP Sports. "I know that everyone is really tough. I mean, I'm fortunate. I played her a couple of times before, and I know that she's one of the best fighters on tour, so I was just expecting a tough match."
Earlier in the tournament, Elina Svitolina upset fifth-seeded and Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova, 6-4, 6-1. She will take all the learnings she can from the match against Osaka so that she can be better prepared in the upcoming face-offs.
Svitolina will next play at the upcoming Cincinnati Open (August 12-19), which will be her last WTA 1000 chance before the US Open begins later in August. She is having a good season, which would likely mean she would be seeded for the tournament in New York.
Earlier in 2025, Svitolina reached the quarterfinals at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Moreover, she captured the WTA 250 title at the Open de Rouen. It was her first title in nearly two years.